


Toward Tomorrow

by kaebear89



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bathing/Washing, Bonfires, Consensual Sex, Cunnilingus, Demon Inuyasha, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Feudalism, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Married Life, Mating Rituals, Oral Sex, Post-Canon, Romance, Smut, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Night
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:47:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 53,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28484109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaebear89/pseuds/kaebear89
Summary: A series of one-shot-style chapters about Inuyasha and Kagome's lives after her return. These are just my takes on life after Kagome's return to the Feudal Era. A mix of romance, drama, angst, smut, hurt/comfort, and the general scenarios I always thought would've happened after her return.Ch 4: "He'd forgotten what being feared had felt like; how lonely and isolating it was."
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 5
Kudos: 59





	1. No Regrets

**Author's Note:**

> Another COVID-19 induced fanfic! This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I started getting ideas…
> 
> Like I said in my other Inuyasha fic, Illusions of the Heart, I started rewatching InuYasha due to the current quarantine. I rewatched it in about a week and a half while also working from home, so if you need a reason to rewatch InuYasha, there ya go!
> 
> I came up with this one wanting to have more fics that take place after the end of The Final Act, as I found very few that scratched the itch I had.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts of this fic by leaving a review or give it a fav/follow!
> 
> Enjoy!

She was back. She was really back!

Inuyasha had been unable to contain his joy at having her back in his time. From the moment her scent wafted in the air, he knew it couldn't be anyone but her, and that had scared him. He had no idea what it meant at first. Had the Well reopened? Why was it suddenly working again? And what did that mean for him and Kagome?

All too many questions that zoomed out of his thoughts as quickly as they had come. All that mattered was that she was here, regardless of the reason why. He was just happy to hold her again, afraid that this was just another cruel dream, like many he had had before. They'd all felt real in the moment, but her scent was present, so this must've been real.

When they heard Shippo, Miroku and Sango approach with their brood of children, they turned to greet them, Kagome clearly overcome by seeing them all again. Inuyasha watched as she ran to greet them with warm and open hugs.

Shippo was the first to reach her, jumping straight into her arms, crying at seeing his adoptive mother again, "Kagome! Is it really you?!"

"Oh Shippo! Miroku! Sango! It's so good to see you all again!" Kagome cried with tears of joy sprouting from her eyes, "I can't tell you how much I've missed you guys!"

"We've missed you as well, Kagome!" Sango replied, gently hugging her as Shippo made his way onto Kagome's shoulder.

"Yes! How've you been?" Miroku asked, eager to hear of what she had been up to over the past three years and the reasoning for her sudden return.

"Yeah! How did you manage to come back through the Well? We thought you'd never return to us!" Shippo said with a sense of dread in his voice.

"Oh, there's so much to talk about," Kagome replied, looking at the young children surrounding their parents, "Clearly you've all been up to a lot while I was gone!"

"Indeed. We have so much to catch up on, " Sango replied, hearing her littlest start to fuss in his carrier on her back, "Let's head back to the village for some lunch, and we can talk as long as we're able."

"Sure thing!" Kagome nodded before turning back, "Inuyasha! We're going back to the…" she cut off when she realized Inuyasha wasn't standing by the Well anymore, "Where'd he go?"

She walked over to the Well and looked down, seeing Inuyasha at the bottom. He was sniffing and shuffling some dirt around, seemingly looking for something.

"Inuyasha?" she called down to him, his head peering back up at her, "What're you doing?"

"I wasn't able to go through," he said, barely audible for Kagome to hear, "Can you try jumping down?"

Kagome hesitated. She just came back, there was no way she was going to jump back down the Well, at least not right now. Who knows what would happen if she jumped in again. For all she knew, she'd end up back on the other side, trapped again.

"Let's worry about that later. We're going back to the village for some lunch and to catch up!" she replied as Inuyasha came soaring out of the Well with ease, landing next to her.

"Kagome, how did the Well just suddenly start working again, and why doesn't it work now?" he asked her point blank.

"Let's talk about it over lunch. Please?" she pleaded, holding her hands in a mock prayer pose, fluttering her eyelashes in a way only she could. A strong red flush appeared on his cheeks before turning his head away and muttering his approval under his breath, "Ugh, fine fine. We'll deal with this later."

As the group headed back to the village, Kagome spoke, "I can't believe how long it's been. So much has happened! I feel like I've missed so much."

"All that matters is that you're here now, Kagome. We'll have all the time in the world to catch up," Sango said happily.

Inuyasha looked on, staying silent as the rest of the group chatted. He had suspicions about how long this happiness might last them. Was this just the universes way of letting them have a final goodbye with her, or would they have time together now? He thought about the Well, and concern spread across his face.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked quietly as they fell back a little from the others, stirring him from his thoughts, "You alright?"

"Keh, I'm fine," he replied quickly, not giving hints to the doubts he was having.

Kagome came by his side and seamlessly looped her arm through his, leaning her head against his shoulder. He was momentarily stunned by the gesture, but soon leaned back into the embrace, sliding her hand into his own as they walked hand in hand.

Over the lunch, Kagome became well acquainted with the twins, Mariko and Miya, who seemed to have as much of an affinity for Inuyasha's ears as Kagome did. They played with them as Inuyasha tried to calmly eat his lunch and ignore the tugging on his sensitive ears, though it was becoming difficult.

"Girls, stop playing with his ears!" Miroku called over.

"They do this all the time," Sango commented to Kagome as she finished feeding their youngest, Komori.

"May I hold him?" Kagome asked.

"Of course!" Sango replied, gently moving the infant into Kagome's waiting arms, making sure he was cradled properly. Luckily, he was already getting sleepy from his feeding and began nodding off. Kagome, amazed at the little bundle in her arms, told Sango, "He's beautiful."

Sango smiled, "Thank you. Definitely takes after his father though."

"Yeah, he really looks like Miroku," Kagome replied.

Shippo came up to Kagome's side and watched the sleeping infant, "How old is he now?"

"He's only 3 days old, fresh out of the oven," Miroku replied.

"Wow! Aren't you just so brand new to the world then?" Kagome said to the sleeping baby quietly, gently brushing the tuft of hair on his head.

Inuyasha watched her as she reacquainted herself with the others, staying relatively quiet and off to the side, just listening to the conversation passively.

The others told her of everything that had happened in the interim three years; Rin was living in the village with Kaede now, Kohaku was training to become a well-accomplished demon slayer, Miroku and Inuyasha's had started a demon exorcism business, and Shippo's exams as well.

Kagome went on to explain how she had finished her schooling, though she had been accepted into university, which she had to explain was an even higher form of education.

"What would your field of study be Kagome? You said it's a very specialized form of education. Have you thought what you'd like to master?" Miroku asked, very interested in the education system she described.

"Hehehe, well not really," Kagome laughed nervously, "I always knew it was expected that I would go to university. It's considered irresponsible to not go in my time, but to be honest, I hadn't really given it much thought."

Sango replied, "Well, what are you really passionate about?"

Kagome thought about it for a moment before she replied, "I guess I've always been so interested in the medicinal herbs and antidotes that Kaede and Jinenji made. Maybe I could go into pharmacy."

"Farm-acie?" Inuyasha asked, confused by the word.

"It just means a special kind of doctor who works mostly with medication, like antidotes and special potions for healing people, "she clarified.

"Oh that'd be wonderful!" Shippo exclaimed, "That kind of knowledge is so useful, and makes total sense with your personality, Kagome."

Kagome looked at him confused, "Huh?"

"Yes! With your kind nature and compassion for others, along with your intelligence, that kind of information would be a true value, "Sango added.

Miroku continued, "I imagine the medicine of your time must be so advanced, I can't fathom the help you'd be to those around you."

Kagome laughed, waving her hand, "Oh, I'm not sure about that! It's a field that requires a lot of math skills, and that's always been my worst subject, so I'm not sure I'd even do well in it."

"You've always accomplished anything you've put your mind to, Kagome. We know you'd be able to do it if you try," Sango assured her.

Kagome looked at them as they each gave a reassuring smile, "Thanks guys. I appreciate that!"

As the day turned to night, Inuyasha quietly stood from his seated position and motioned to leave the hut. Kagome turned towards him, wondering if something was wrong.

"Huh? Inuyasha, where're you going?" Kagome asked.

"I'll be back, don't worry," he replied, before exiting out through the door. Kagome looked on, confused.

"He's been awfully quiet. Is it something I've said?" she asked.

"Not to worry, Kagome. Inuyasha goes out every day around dusk to do a sweep of the village perimeter. He'll be back shortly," Miroku said reassuringly.

"He does?" Kagome pressed, "Are we talking about the same guy here?"

"You'd be surprised how much he's changed over the last three years," Sango replied, "He's become more… What's the word I'm looking for?"

"Somber?" Miroku finished for her.

"Ah yes, that's it!" Sango thanked him.

Miroku continued, "He has changed, and all-in-all for the better, but he has remained very lonely and sad, Kagome. Inuyasha was always a depressed fellow, but he was also angry and bitter at the world."

"So, what changed?" Kagome asked.

The others looked at her as if she was dense, "He doesn't like to say it out loud, but we could all tell how much he missed you, Kagome."

Kagome timidly asked, "He did?"

Shippo chimed in, "Of course he did! He would go to the Well every three days, just in the hope that maybe you'd come back one day."

Kagome's face flushed, 'He… he waited for me?'

Miroku and Sango both nodded, agreeing with Shippo's statement, before Sango continued, "And that's not all. Before I had the twins is when he started this nightly patrol. I was maybe six months along when I was unable to fight demons with Inuyasha and Miroku anymore. I started staying back in the village to avoid any unnecessary strain on myself or the babies."

Miroku took over, saying, "By this time, we had all established a fairly reputable business, but we slowed down to make sure everything was alright on the home front before Inuyasha and I would go off on another job."

"And that was when Inuyasha started doing his sweep. It's actually very sweet when you think about it," Sango concluded.

Kagome was absolutely baffled. She always knew Inuyasha had it in him to be kind and caring. She was just so used to his brash and rude exterior that it was hard to believe he would take up the mantel of being the village's guardian. She just wished she had been around to see it, "You must've been so happy, Miroku. To know Inuyasha was helping to look out for your wife and unborn children?"

Miroku nodded, "I was. Inuyasha can be stubborn, but he truly has abandoned his desire to pursue a life of selfish gain. It was quite remarkable; all the villagers began to accept him and welcome him into the village more because of his protective behavior. We've gone almost 2 years now without a single attack on the village, and we all feel as though we're indebted to him."

Sango continued with a laugh, "Yes, the villagers even invite him to engage in social events, like weddings and harvest festivals, though he rarely agrees to join in the fun."

"It's really amazing! These people have grown to accept Inuyasha, all because he stopped being such a selfish jerk, " Shippo tagged on, "And to think, he'd lived over 200 years of his life shutting people out."

Miroku added, "It's like he knew that if you did ever come back, he wanted to be the honorable person you always knew he could be, Kagome."

Kagome was flustered. She couldn't believe what they were saying to her, "There's no way Inuyasha could be that selfless! You must have the wrong person!" she joked, trying to laugh off the conversation before it got too serious.

"What was that?" she heard a gruff voice say behind her as she recognized it instantly. She sheepishly turned to look at Inuyasha and saw the stern and grumpy look that she knew him so well for, before he pressed her, "You were saying, Kagome?"

"Aahhh, I wasn't saying anything!" she lied, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

"Oooh yes you were! What was that about how I couldn't possibly be so selfless?" he questioned.

Kagome nervously laughed, "I was just saying that it's so hard to believe! I mean correct me if my memory's wrong, but I seem to always remember you telling us that you'd be caught dead before you'd help weak humans."

Inuyasha huffed as he sat back down against the wall of the hut, "Who said anything about helping humans? I'm just making sure there's no demons or bandits sneaking around where they ain't wanted, that's all!"

"Uh huh, suuuure. That's why you started doing it before the girls were born and Sango was unable to defend herself," Miroku chimed in sarcastically.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha clapped back.

"Shh!" Sango shushed them, pointing towards the heap of sleeping children in the corner of the room.

Kagome, seeing the kids asleep, wondered if maybe it was time to turn in for the night. Besides she wanted to talk with Inuyasha. She'd barely been able to say a word to him without the others near, and after hearing about all that's been going on, she wanted to just spend some time with him, "Maybe we should turn in for the night," she said quietly.

"Oh no, Kagome, you don't need to leave!" Sango replied, "Please, won't you stay with us? Since Rin is living with Kaede it might be crowded in her hut, and we have more than enough room for you to stay."

Kagome nervously waved her hands, "That's alright Sango, really! I wouldn't want to be in the way."

"Are you sure?" Sango questioned, "You'll always have the futon if you need it."

Kagome nodded, "Thanks! I appreciate it, but I'd like to see Kaede anyways. Maybe tomorrow night?"

"Of course!" Sango agreed.

Kagome stood and turned, "Inuyasha?" she started, grabbing his attention, though he was clearly still grumpy from her earlier comments. Her cheeks flushed a little as she asked, "Would you… walk me to Kaede's hut?"

Inuyasha, dropping his façade of anger, was up and by her side, not missing an opportunity to be alone with her, "Yeah, sure…"

"See ya later!" Kagome called out, waving to her friends before leaving the hut with Inuyasha.

Shippo attempted to bound after her, "Wait for me, Ka-OW!" Miroku had grabbed onto the small fox demon's tail to hold him back, "Miroku! What'd you do that for?!"

Miroku simply pressed a finger to his lips in a 'shush' motion and looking back at the retreating couple, "Leave them be, Shippo. They deserve to have some time alone together."

"Yes, they must have a million things racing through their minds. I can't imagine they wouldn't want time to talk, "Sango added.

Miroku interjected, "See, I was thinking Inuyasha might appreciate some privacy so that he may finally consummate the feelings he's had for Kagome pent up over so many ye- aaahhh!" Sango cut him off with a rousing slap to the face.

"Keep your mind out of the gutter! You have children in the room," she reminded him.

"You're making that painfully clear, my love," Miroku replied sheepishly.

As the pair walked around the village in silence, Kagome stared down at her feet as they trudged along, while Inuyasha made awkward side-glances, unsure of where to start.

Kagome innocently reached a hand to touch his sleeve, pulling on it ever so slightly, like a child would to get their parent's attention. Inuyasha stilled and turned to look back at her, "What's wrong, Kagome?" he asked, unsure of her behavior.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, gaining the courage to look him in the eye, "Can we go talk… somewhere private?"

Inuyasha was taken aback but didn't object to her request. He nodded before gently picking her up the way that he used to, adjusting to holding her in a way he hadn't done in so long, and leaped off towards the forest. Kagome enjoyed the familiar feeling of being nestled against his chest and his arms holding her so carefully. She had really missed this. Inuyasha made his way to the Sacred Tree. He figured it was probably the most secluded place in the area, as none of the villagers ever came out here, especially at night. They knew he was usually at the Sacred Tree or by the Well, and they rarely bothered him there unless it was urgent.

As they arrived, Kagome realized where he'd taken her. He set her down carefully on her feet, and she turned to looked up at the tree, walking timidly towards it and pressing her palm against the scar that marred its bark.

"The Sacred Tree," she said softly, "This is where we first met."

"It feels like a lifetime ago," Inuyasha commented, a hint of gloom in his voice.

As she felt the familiar roughness of the tree, she was reminded of everything they'd been through together to get to this point. How much they'd both endured and struggled and sacrificed.

Inuyasha, feeling persuaded to speak at her silence, admitted, "I'd hoped that maybe the connection the tree had between our worlds would've opened up at some point for us to at least talk." Kagome looked over her shoulder and back at him as he spoke, "It had worked before, and we never really knew why. I thought maybe… maybe it'd allow me to see you again, just one more time. I just... needed to know that you were safe."

"Inuyasha," she said, facing him and moving into his arms, "I've missed you so much." She had missed this; the feel of his robe against her skin, the strength of his arms holding her, the shimmer in his eyes when he looked at her in just that way only he could. Her memory of him never did justice to the real thing.

He didn't hesitate to encircle his arms around her, holding her close to his chest and resting his cheek on her head, "I missed you too." How he'd missed the smell of her hair in his senses, the softness of her voice as she comforted him, the gentleness of her touch. He'd never realized how much they comforted him until they were gone.

After a few moments of them enjoying their embrace, Kagome asked jokingly, "So… you came to the Well every three days, huh?"

Inuyasha swore to himself that he owed Shippo a good whack on the head for telling Kagome that, "That little runt…"

Kagome reached up, pressing her fingertips to his lips, stopping him from saying another unkind word, "Can I tell you something?"

Inuyasha looked down at her, wondering what she might have to say, "Uh, yeah sure?"

Kagome smiled up at him, "I went to the Well every few days myself," Inuyasha wasn't sure why he was surprised, but he was.

"Y-You did?" he asked.

Kagome nodded, "I had no idea why the Well had stopped working. And for so long, I assumed it was just because the Shikon Jewel no longer existed. And if destroying the Jewel was my main reason for coming back to this time, then I had fulfilled my purpose here, right?" she trailed off for a moment, "But… I just couldn't let it go. I tried to move on, to go back to my normal life."

Inuyasha stared down into her eyes as she started to cry, "I just couldn't though. It was too painful. I hated every day, being stuck, not knowing if I'd ever see you again, and feeling like I couldn't do anything change things. I was so angry and sad for so long…"

He gently pressed the back of her head to his shoulder as she cried into his suikan. He whispered, "I know." Inuyasha understood perfectly how she felt. How could he not? He'd spent his entire life being angry at the world, for how cruel and unkind it could be. But in the three years she was gone, his anger turned to indifference, and eventually to acceptance. But for her, it must've seemed like an eternity of pain.

"I just couldn't accept that I'd never see you again," she continued to cry, "I'd tried so many times to jump into the Well, only to be rejected every time. I felt so… alone."

And in that instance Inuyasha, knew that they were destined to be together, "Kagome," he said softly, "There were so many nights I sat alone, looking up at the stars, wondering about what happened to you. I wondered if you were alright, if you were safe. It killed me; not knowing." Kagome sniffled as she listened to him continue, "But at some point, I realized that I shouldn't waste the new life that you'd given me."

She turned and looked up at him, "New life?"

Inuyasha nodded, "I was… so angry at the world. I never had any hope of a meaningful life, certainly not one that I thought I would share with others. But… It's because of you that I was able to trust in people again; to have friends I could rely on and care about; you made me believe in this world again when I'd long since abandoned any hope of feeling like I belonged anywhere. You gave me a place that feel like home. And even if I couldn't share it with you, I wasn't going to squander the gift you gave me."

"So, "she sniffled, "That's why you became the village's guardian? Why you continued to protect the others?"

He nodded, "I wanted to be everything you always knew I could be. You made me want to be better, Kagome. Not just in power or strength, but to be better as myself, and accept all of myself… because you did. And if that was all that we were meant for, then I'd embrace that without any hesitation. But I knew, deep down, that that wasn't meant to be it for us."

Kagome asked, "How? How could you know that?"

Inuyasha inhaled as he vocalized something he'd always believed, even over three years, he never stopped believing, "When we were inside the Shikon Jewel, the demons that fought Midoriko spoke to me. They tried to tell me that your destiny was to become part of the Shikon Jewel, to become part of the next cycle of eternal struggle within it."

Kagome listened to him intently. He'd never had a chance to tell her what he'd experienced when they were inside the Jewel before they were separated, "At the time, I couldn't accept that that was the reason you were born, why you came back to this time. I knew… I knew that we were meant to meet each other, to make each other better, and to be together. And to this day, I believe I was right. The Shikon Jewel was destroyed instead of trapping you within it, and we're here together now. You're not trapped inside it, fighting demons for all eternity, nor are we separated by space and time… That's why I went back to the Well every three days. Because I waited for the day that I knew I'd see you again."

Kagome wrinkled her hand into the folds of his robes so tightly she thought she might lose the feeling in her hand. She whispered, "Inuyasha…"

He raised a hand to her cheek, brushing the tears from her face with the back of his knuckle, "I was born to be with you, Kagome. And you were born to be with me," he said in such earnest that she felt it was hard to argue.

Kagome, entranced by his stern, but gentle, gaze, coaxed him down and they softly pressed their lips in a long-awaited reunion. They knew it for sure now; this wasn't a dream, nor was it an illusion. They were real and they were together.

As the kiss ended, they stared at one another for a moment, both flush in the face.

"But… Kagome?" Inuyasha started, snapping her from her stupor, "About the Well…"

Kagome pulled away, turning her gaze from his intense look, "Yeah… that."

Inuyasha stared at her intently, "We need to know if the Well is still working. Otherwise, you'll never know if you'll be able to go home again," his voice was calm. She almost wasn't used to this level of tenderness he was showing. But she knew she could get used it.

Kagome went along with him as he took her hand in his, she asked, "Can this wait until tomorrow? Or even next week? I want to enjoy being back here with you and the others before I have to even think about that." Inuyasha ignored her as he made his way towards the Well, Kagome keeping pace.

As they reached the lip, Inuyasha stared in and said, "We've gotta know for sure, Kagome. Otherwise, it's just be something else that'll haunt us."

Kagome nodded, sadly. She didn't want to face the possible chance of being separated from him again, not after they'd worked so hard to find each other again. But he was right, they needed to know.

Inuyasha took her hand, helping her onto the ledge, staring at her with an intense look of concern, he asked, "You ready?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

But before she could jump, Inuyasha stopped her, "Wait, Kagome," she turned as he said, "Whatever happens, I just... just know how much I care for you," his hand still gripping hers, she could feel his hand tighten as he struggled to put the words together, "I never got a chance to say it before, and I sure as hell won't waste it now," though he still struggled to vocalize everything he wanted to say to her.

Kagome smiled as she leaned over and kissed his cheek before saying, "I love you too, Inuyasha."

He smiled at that, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. She always knew exactly what to say when words failed him.

They both turned to look down the Well, "On three," he said determinedly, "One, two, three!"

The pair jumped down the Well together, hand in hand, hoping they'd feel that oh so familiar pull of the world shifting around them.

But instead, he'd hit the dirt again, like so many times before. What he didn't expect was that he still felt Kagome's hand in his. He looked and saw that she was there, still beside him, "It didn't work," he said aloud, confirming his suspicions.

Kagome looked down at the dirt-covered floor of the Well. Inuyasha expected her to break out crying any moment at the realization that she was trapped there with him. That she'd realize she'd made a horrible mistake, but instead, while she did have a sad look in her eye, she smiled.

"Kagome…?" he asked quietly, giving her hand a squeeze to let her know he was still there, begging for her to show any kind of indication as to what she was thinking; what she was feeling. Was she upset? Angry? Distraught?

She looked at him, the smile still across her face, and replied, "I figured as much."

"You figured?" he asked incredulously, "You knew this would happen?"

Kagome gestured, saying, "Well, no. I had no idea what to expect, honestly."

Inuyasha just stared at her, perplexed, "Kagome, what happened on your side of the Well? What allowed you to come back here?"

Kagome looked at him deeply, his eyes begging her for an answer, "I wished for it."

He stilled immediately, "What do you mean 'you wished for it'?"

Kagome sighed as she rested her back against the wall, Inuyasha joining and sitting beside her. She reached out and tenderly interlocked their hands together before she spoke again," I had gone to the Well again. I don't know how many times I had by this point, but I was there again. I just remember being upset… I had graduated high school, and I knew I was going to be leaving for university soon, and all I could think about was 'This might be the last time I would see the Well again, at least for a long time'."

Inuyasha squeezed her hand as she spoke.

She continued, "I remember thinking that all I wanted was to see you again. And then… I felt a breeze, and I saw the open blue sky through the Well." She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts, "I stood there for what seemed like ages, just staring down the Well, thinking I as hallucinating it, or maybe it was a dream. But then… my Mom came to find me, and she saw the sky in the Well, too."

Inuyasha leaned his cheek against her hair as he listened intently, not wanting to interrupt her.

"I knew that there were no guarantees if I jumped down the Well, but I'd thought about it for so long that I knew I had to try. I was so miserable and unhappy in my time. All I ever wanted to was to come back here. I knew I belonged here. And I had a feeling that if I came back, I was risking never going home again. But…" she faltered as she spoke, thinking about her Mom, Souta, and Grandpa. How she said her goodbyes with each of them, knowing full well that it was likely going to be the last time she'd ever see her family, "I jumped anyways."

Inuyasha turned to look at her, "You idiot… You jumped? Knowing that there was a possibility that you'd never go home again? Never see your family again?" He couldn't believe the risk she took in coming back here. Who knows what could've happened to her. And she just jumped blindly? She was able to just leave the family that cared for her so deeply?

Kagome nodded and replied happily, "I accepted that risk. I'd give up everything back on the other side of the Well if it meant I could spend the rest of my life by your side, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha blushed at the declaration, startled by how bold she was, "Kagome… But what about your family, your friends? What about that education you were talking about? It seemed like that was really important. Won't you regret not being able to go back and live your own life?"

Kagome smiled and leaned back into his shoulder, "I don't regret it; any of it. I've never regretted a single moment I've spent with you, and I knew I would never regret choosing to be with you over my life in the future."

Inuyasha slowly leaned back into the embrace as they sat at the bottom of the Well, the closest she'd ever get to being home again, "You're such an idiot, "he joked, his comment holding no bite to it, only every ounce of affection he could muster in the words, "But I guess it's what I love most about you."

At hearing him finally say the thing she'd always wished he would, Kagome was content to sit there forever with him and said, "Well, you better get used to it. Like you said, we were meant to be together," before she started to nod off into sleep.

Inuyasha smiled as he looked up and out of the Well's opening to the clear night sky above, whispering a silent thank you to whoever was watching out for them. Whether it was a sick joke by the gods, the Sacred Tree giving them one last blessing, or just pure fate, it didn't matter. She was there, and she had chosen to be there… with him.

'Is this what real happiness feels like?' Inuyasha asked silently before he too drifted off into a beautifully peaceful sleep with the woman he loved in his arms once more.


	2. Our Bond

"I'm so glad you've decided to come live with us, Jinenji!" Kagome exclaimed in excitement.

"Well, ever since... Ma died, it's been very lonely in my village," the behemoth of a half-demon replied solemnly.

Kagome had always wanted to learn from him, now that she had been living in the Feudal Era permanently. It had been a little over a month since she came back, and she had repeatedly made trips to Jinenji's village to ask about certain herbal remedies that Kaede didn't have knowledge of, and every time, she offered him to come live with them in their village. But he had been adamant about not leaving. His mother had grown ill over the last few months, and he wouldn't leave her side. A week prior, his Ma had passed away quietly in her sleep, and Jinenji was very lonely without her.

"I'm so sorry," Kagome said, giving her condolences for his loss, "She was a good woman, and a wonderful mother."

"Thank you," Jinenji said, "But it's better this way. Now, she need no longer suffer."

Kagome smiled, and he blushed, as he had done many times when she was around. Kagome had a way of warming his heart and making him feel so peaceful, so it was only natural that after his Ma died that he go to live with the only other person who ever treated him with kindness. Besides, at least his skills for antidotes and remedies could useful to Kagome and her village, and he would be more than willing to help her.

Kagome showed him to the hut that was built for him to use near the fields where the herbs that Kaede planted and maintained were kept, and he was immediately taken aback by the space and items they had already set up for him under such short notice.

"Oh this is too much, "he said sheepishly, "Kagome, are you sure I can use this?"

Kagome smiled happily and clapped both her hands together, "Of course! The villagers all pitched in to help prepare the hut to make sure you had everything you needed when you arrived."

Jinenji turned and looked back at the other huts around the village, seeing some of the occupants turning and waving, all with smiles on their faces; all directed towards him, "You mean, they aren't afraid of me?"

"Why would they be afraid of you?" Kagome asked, implying that there was no good reason for anyone to fear him.

"It's just that… I'm not used to this," Jinenji replied, "I just wonder if there's been some mistake."

"No mistake," Kagome giggled as she spoke, "This is all for you! So why don't you get settled in and join us at Kaede's hut for dinner tonight?"

Jinenji smiled and nodded, "I'd like that very much. Thank you, Kagome."

"Not a problem!" she brushed it off easily, "If you need anything, I'll be around, so don't hesitate to come find me! Or you can always just look for Inuyasha. He'll be more than happy to help as well!"

"Keh!" came the reply from behind Kagome.

Kagome giggled as she and Jinenji turned to greet him, "Come on, we all know you're a softy."

"Not likely," Inuyasha retorted, a hint of blush grazing his cheeks.

Kagome just smiled and turned back to Jinenji, "Like I said, just find either of us, and we'll be more than happy to help."

Jinenji nodded as he retreated into the hut that looked as though it was built especially for his enormous size.

Kagome turned and walked up to Inuyasha, "What's up?"

"Sango's looking for you. She asked if I could come find you," Inuyasha replied easily.

"Is it urgent?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha shook his head, "Nah, just said she wanted to talk with you."

She smiled, and took his hand as they started walking back over to the side of the village where Miroku and Sango's hut was located, "Good, because there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

Inuyasha gave her a nervous look, "Oh no, what'd I do now?"

She laughed at that, "Nothing! Don't worry, nothing's wrong."

Inuyasha sighed with relief, "Good! I don't think I'd be able to handle a "sit" command after all these years. 'Cause I gotta tell ya, Kagome, it's been nice not having my face slammed into dirt every five minutes."

Kagome squeezed his hand, "Actually, that _is_ what I wanted to talk to you about."

He was taken aback by the statement, suddenly nervous again. Kagome had her head cocked to look at the enchanted beads around his neck as she raised a hand to touch them, "I think… maybe it's time we remove these."

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, seemingly offended by the comment, "What?"

Kagome was kind of startled by his response, "I mean, it's been over a month and I haven't had to use the command once. I just don't find myself feeling a need to use it. So… maybe it's time we remove the spell?"

Kagome had spent days wondering if she should remove the beads. When she thought back on it, she'd only ever used them to hurt Inuyasha when he pissed her off or he needed to be reined in. She rarely used them to subdue him for legitimate reasons, like when his demon-side took over and he was out of control. But clearly, he'd managed for the last three years without them, so maybe it was time to remove them so that she couldn't dangle that control over him anymore.

Sure, at the beginning, when he was still hostile towards her, they were necessary as protection. But now, they just didn't seem useful. She thought about how maybe there'd be a day where she would need to have a way to snap him out of another demonic transformation, or if maybe she'd start to get irritated with him again and would need a way to keep him in check. But she realized that that wasn't giving him the credit he deserved. He's matured so much, and he clearly was able to control himself without the need of her sit commands. It seemed only fair that they remove the beads and find an alternative plan in case he did ever need to be subdued again.

Inuyasha reached up and touched the beads around his neck, "But…"

"Hm?" Kagome was perplexed by his response. She thought he would be genuinely happy to finally have the beads removed. He'd never had to fear her wrath again by eating mouthfuls of dirt every time her anger got the better of her. So why was he looking at them like she'd just said she was taking away his favourite toy? "Inuyasha?"

His eyebrows were crinkled in a way that indicated he was thinking really hard about what she had proposed, "Kagome, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather keep the beads."

Kagome was floored, her eyes blinking repeatedly in shock, "I'm… sorry?"

Inuyasha grasped the beads, "You heard what I said. I wanna keep them!"

Kagome pressed him, "I must be hallucinating. Since when would you _EVER_ want to keep the Beads of Subjugation on you? You've always hated them!"

Inuyasha cheeks burned, finding it hard to explain himself. Why did he have such a sudden attachment to them? "Look, I can't really explain why. I just… don't wanna remove them right now, okay?"

She was so baffled by this outcome. This was not at all how she had expected this conversation to go. And she had spent so much time really thinking it over too.

She sighed heavily, "I mean, if you want to, I won't stop you. But… are you sure?"

He nodded feverishly, adamant about his decision, "Yeah."

Kagome smiled as she gently grasped his hand again and they continued to walk towards Sango and Miroku's hut, "I think you've developed a bit of Stockholm Syndrome," she commented aloud.

"Huh? What's that?" Inuyasha asked, confused by her statement.

"Never mind," Kagome laughed before she spotted Sango in the distance. She waved eagerly and made her way over the demon slayer. As she sat with Sango, helping her with the children, Miroku came out of the hut and approached Inuyasha who was standing a fair distance away to give the ladies their privacy.

"Good afternoon, Inuyasha!" Miroku greeted him warmly.

"Hey, Miroku, "Inuyasha replied, his voice lacking any emotion. He was lost in thought about the conversation he'd had with Kagome and wondered if he should talk to Miroku about it.

Miroku noticed the flat tone in his voice, and his gaze that fixated on Kagome, a concerned look across his features. He asked, "Is something troubling you, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked away, turning to Miroku, "Miroku, when you think of your relationship with Sango, do you ever feel like there's something you can point to that bonds the two of you together?"

"Something that bonds us?" Miroku repeated, making sure he was understanding the question.

"Yeah, "Inuyasha confirmed, turning to look at Kagome again who was totally oblivious to the men watching their interaction.

Miroku thought carefully about the question, looking at the women as they played with the children, before answering, "I mean, I'd probably have to say it's our children. They _are_ the ultimate physical manifestation of our love for one another, after all."

Inuyasha stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about the reply, "Yes, but… before you had kids. What made it clear you two were…?"

Miroku waited for him to finish, though Inuyasha found it hard to find the right word to indicate what he was trying to imply. So, Miroku asked, "You mean marriage?"

Inuyasha turned his gaze to the ground, unable to confirm or deny the statement, as even he was unsure that's what he meant.

Miroku patted him on the shoulder, pulling Inuyasha's attention back up to the monk, "Let's go talk, "he said, pointing towards the grassy knoll that lead up to the forest where the Well and the Sacred Tree lied.

As they walked along the rice fields, Miroku asked, "What brought about this sudden question?"

Inuyasha sighed as he answered, "Kagome offered to remove the Beads of Subjugation from around my neck."

There was a beat of silence before Miroku replied, "You don't seem exactly excited about that offer."

Inuyasha shook his head, "I told her that I wanted to keep them."

Miroku, much like Kagome, was floored by his response, "I must say Inuyasha, I realized that you were masochist to a certain extent, but I never believed you hated yourself _that_ much."

Inuyasha shot him a dirty look, "It has nothing to do with the 'sit' commands!"

Puzzled, Miroku asked, "You mean, she hasn't used them on you since she's been back?"

Inuyasha only shook his head in response.

"Well then what, pray tell, is the reason for wanting to keep them?" Miroku asked as they approached the hillside and took a seat, facing back towards the village, "If she feels there's no longer any need for them, then why subject yourself to the possibility that she could still use the command, especially when you hate it so?"

Inuyasha again struggled to verbalize his reasoning, "I can't explain it. Just… when she said she was thinking about taking them off… I dunno, something in me felt... protective of it."

Miroku pushed him to try and find out why that was, "Where do you think that protectiveness stems from?"

"How should I know? I've wanted this damn thing off ever since Kaede first put it around my neck!" Inuyasha exclaimed, only elaborating on his point that even he didn't understand why he did what he did.

Miroku asked, "Do you think that changed when she was no longer here with us?"

Inuyasha thought about it for a moment, looking down at the beads around his neck, "Maybe. When she was gone… I guess it felt like it was all I had left of her. The last thing that connected us together, and I just… took it for granted that it was always going to be there if she never came back to remove them."

"But she has returned, and for good. So why not let her remove it?" Miroku pressed on.

Inuyasha stayed silent for a moment before saying, "Well, if she removes the beads… then what else do we have that ties us together?"

Miroku suddenly put two and two together, "My friend, this is all very simple. You're contemplating proposing to Kagome!"

Inuyasha was startled, turning almost as red as his robe, "What?! No! It's too soon! It's only been a month!"

Miroku gestured, "Nonsense! You've known each other longer than that, and you two have defied space and time to be with one another. She has chosen to be here with you, leaving behind her entire life for you. Do you honestly think she would reject your proposal?"

Inuyasha settled, thinking hard about it, "But… what if she realizes she doesn't want to be with me? Or one day she's given the opportunity to go home again. Who knows how she'll feel then."

"As compassionate as that sentiment is, are you content then to live in this middle ground of non-commitment, where she is by your side, but you won't make an honest woman of her?" Miroku questioned.

"It's not about that. I just… I'm afraid if one day she realizes this was all one big mistake," Inuyasha admitted, his insecurity with the whole situation coming to light.

Miroku shook his head, "Inuyasha, if you can't see by now how much Kagome has willingly sacrificed to be with you, then I'm not sure you'll ever see it."

Inuyasha countered, "It's not that I don't know how much she gave up. She's told me as much when she first came back. I'm… afraid… of what the future will bring."

"As are we all. But life is not lived from the sidelines, my friend," Miroku said, almost harshly.

Inuyasha turned to look at the monk, a thoughtful look in his eye, as Miroku continued, placing his hand upon Inuyasha's shoulder, "Listen, if you wish to marry Kagome, then you should do so," Miroku said comfortingly.

Inuyasha blushed, seriously considering the idea of he and Kagome being married. Inuyasha… having a mate? It had seemed like an impossibility for so long. But the reality was that Kagome had defied the impossible by even returning to this time. She brought about miracles just in her very nature. Perhaps they could truly be happy together.

After a few moments of silence, Miroku asked, "Is there something about that that intimidates you?"

Inuyasha shook his head, "Keh, nothing intimidates me!"

Miroku sighed and replied sarcastically, "Suuure. Only the possibility of asking the woman you love if she'll pledge herself to you for the rest of your natural lives. Nothing intimidating about that at all…"

Inuyasha asked, "Were you nervous when you asked Sango?"

Miroku smiled, "Of course I was. I had every reason to believe she would turn down my proposal. But I did it anyways."

"But why?" Inuyasha looked confused, "You'd always been a womanizer, and as you said, you had every reason to think she would turn you down. So why put yourself through that?"

Miroku looked up to the clouds in the bright blue sky as he said, "Because love is always worth it in the end."

After a moment, Miroku continued, "Inuyasha, you have more reason than any individual I've ever known, including myself, to believe that Kagome would never leave your side. She has already made her choice and paid a heavy price for it. All I'm suggesting is that you repay her leap of faith with your own."

Inuyasha looked back to the village as he thought for a moment, "You really believe she'd accept me?"

Miroku stood as he brushed off his robes, "Build her a home, ask her to be your wife, and your bond will exist beyond the beads you wear. I can guarantee you she will not reject you, and whatever the future brings, you will face it together."

Inuyasha looked back to the beads as Miroku began to walk back to the village, "Thanks, Miroku."

* * *

The darkness of the night had set in as the entire village came out for a massive feast and dancing around a bonfire. They hadn't intended on the night turning into a celebration, as it had only started as dinner amongst friends and the headman of the village to welcome Jinenji, but it seems as though that was where they'd ended up. More and more of the villagers came to offer their own food, and it before they knew it, an all-out party had been started when villagers started bringing their instruments and began playing as others danced around the bonfire.

Jinenji sat quietly near Kaede and Kagome as the festivities took place, still uncertain and unsure, though he was happy to be included in such an event.

At some point, Sango and the girls went to dance around the fire as the villagers played their drums, shamisen, and flutes, encouraging Kagome to join them. As they danced, the flames grew brighter and the warmth it emitted spread across all those in attendance. It was as if the fire was purifying their souls, and more villagers came to join in the fun.

Inuyasha watched from the sidelines, leaning against one of the nearby huts. As Kagome danced with the others around the fire, her figure highlighted by the intense flames behind her, he watched as she gracefully moved, her wrists flicking effortlessly, her hair whipped and twirled around her, unbridled by any confinements. She had such a joy about her, it was impossible to not be taken in by it. It infected everyone in the village. It almost made him want to…

'No, I can't ask her here,' he thought to himself, 'Not around all the other villagers.'

But as she turned, her eyes were clearly searching for someone, it hit him. Once she made eye-contact, he was transfixed. Something in her eye, the way they'd shone, how the embers reflected in them, it sparked something in him; An overriding need that he'd never truly felt before. It overcame him like a tsunami.

Kagome giggled as she pardoned herself from the dancing and made her way over to him and asking, "Inuyasha, do you want to join us?"

He never replied directly. He stared at her for a moment before reaching a hand to her cheek. Kagome was stunned by the sudden gesture, as he pulled her close and kissed her passionately, his arms coming around her form to hold her firm against his.

It was so brazen. Inuyasha was never so affectionate with her around the others. He was always so careful to not be seen by the villagers in this way. Luckily, it seemed as though no one was paying much attention to the couple, though a few pertinent observers were keenly aware of what was going on. It was rare for him to be so open like this, and it made her heart skip a beat when she realized that anyone could see them like this. There was an eagerness that permeated through the kiss, and it left her in a daze.

As he lessened his grip, Kagome was brought back to reality from the stupor of his kiss. His arms remained around her shoulders, keeping her steady as he looked at her in a way that she could only describe as incendiary. It's as if his eyes were burning right through her.

"Inu… yasha…?" she whispered, still dreamy from the kiss.

"Kagome… I've been thinking," Inuyasha started. Kagome could only stare longingly into his eyes as he tried to find the words, though her stare made it even harder for him to concentrate. He slowly reached for her hand as he tried to speak, "I've been thinking a lot… about you and I. And… well…"

Kagome's cheeks turned warm, unsure she knew where this was going, "Yes?"

Inuyasha gently squeezed her hand in his own, his eyes unwavering as he finally asked, "Kagome, would you stay by me… as my wife?"

It took her a moment before she realized what he had just asked her, though she felt the essence of it resonate through her. Her eyes started to brim with tears, not knowing what to say. She'd imagined what this moment would feel like so many times before, but somehow, it defied everything she'd ever dreamed of; it was better, a thousand times better.

Inuyasha panicked at the sight of her tearing up, quickly moving to cradle her cheek in his hand and brushing the tears away with the pad of his thumb, "I'm sorry! Forget it, I shouldn't have asked. I knew it was too soo…"

"Yes," she whispered it so quietly he'd almost he hadn't heard right under his rambling. His ears twitched as he strained to know if what he heard was correct and not just his mind playing games with him, he asked, "W-what...?"

Kagome smiled as she pushed into his chest, her finger tips reaching to his neck and barely brushing it as she kissed him once more. Somehow, it felt even more passionate than before. As she released him, their lips still barely a breath apart, she quietly replied again, "Yes, Inuyasha. Yes, I will be your wife."

Inuyasha couldn't contain himself as he quickly pulled her into the tightest embrace he'd possibly ever mustered, burying his face in her hair, the smell of smoke and wood cemented deep in her hair and clothes, as she reached around and hugged him back, "I love you… so much," he sighed in her ear, feeling as though he would never tire of telling her that.

"I love you more," she whispered back jokingly, pulling back to look at him once more. As they gazed at one another, the moment was interrupted by clapping coming from behind Kagome. As they turned to face the sound, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all stood there clapping and exclaimed, "It's about time!"

Inuyasha blushed intensely as he barked, "Hey! Were you guys watching us?! You perverts!"

"Oh, get off it! You were the one with your hands all over her in front of the whole village," Shippo replied, a sneaky grin on his face. Inuyasha just turned his face away to hide his embarrassment as Kagome giggled at him.

Miroku stopped his clapping and with a smirk, turned to face the rest of the villagers, "Everyone!" The dancing slowed for a moment and the players quieted, listening for the monk's announcement, "Let us dedicate tonight's festivities to the happy couple!"

A rousing roar of cheers erupted from the villagers, congratulating the couple on their engagement. Sake was exchanged and music roared back to life as the village started the celebrations once more. Kaede, Rin, and Jinenji approached them as they finished a round of sake. Kaede said, "My happiest wishes for you both! I take it you'll want to start planning the ceremony as soon as possible?"

Inuyasha struggled to answer, not knowing what the proper protocol for any of this was. He was half-demon, after all. All he knew what that he and Kagome would be spending the rest of their lives together as mates. That was all that mattered to him, and that involved a whole other process outside of a wedding ceremony that he'd have to take the time to explain to Kagome later. He turned to her, and simply stated, "This is all on you. You decide when you want this to happen," he said, letting her be in charge of the decisions around this. She was raised in a shrine, after all, so she would know what the customs were. It didn't matter to him.

Kagome stayed quiet for a moment, looking around at the friends and villagers that surrounded them, the warm atmosphere that enveloped them, and the glow of the bonfire. A joyful smile spread across her lips, her eyes glimmering in the fire's light as she turned and said, "Why not now?"

The group of friends looked at her ponderously, like she'd had too much to drink. Sango asked, "Are you sure, Kagome?"

Inuyasha reached and took hold of her gently by her upper arms, facing her head-on, his eyes boring into her own as he said, "We'll have all the time to do this however and whenever you want to, Kagome. There's no need to rush."

Kagome lightly giggled at his suggestion, "What can I say? Your impatience seems to have rubbed off on me. Besides," she smiled as she touched his cheek, "I've waited three years to be with you again, and I'd already made my decision the moment I jumped down the Well. I don't need time to think it over, and I certainly don't need a fancy ceremony. I want the rest of our lives to start tonight, surrounded by our friends in a moment of happiness and celebration."

Inuyasha's features softened and he asked, "Are you sure?"

Kagome nodded, "I've never been more sure."

Inuyasha leaned forward as he kissed her forehead before pressing his own against it, nuzzling against her hair. A sigh escaped his lips as he said, "Alright, we'll have it your way."

"Everyone! Gather what you can! We have a wedding to put on!" Kaede called out to the villagers.

As the villagers brought an assortment of items that would suffice for an impromptu ceremony, Sango leaned into her friends and asked, "How will this even happen? Don't these ceremonies require purification rituals and prayers? Doesn't seem to exactly work with Inuyasha being half-demon."

Inuyasha's face went deadpan as a bead of sweat streamed down his face, he hadn't even thought of that, "Ugh… Good point. Kagome, this ceremony won't purify me, will it?"

Kagome just giggled as she replied, "We'll just have to make our own rituals. One that doesn't involve purification."

Miroku chimed in, "Don't worry, I'll ensure that nothing should happen to you, Inuyasha."

As the villagers settled themselves around the bonfire, the players took up their instruments once more and played a beautiful rendition of an ancient wedding march. Kagome turned and saw the makeshift stage that had been set up right in front of the bonfire.

Before she could even turn, she felt the familiar warmth and smell of Inuyasha's fire-rat robes envelope her. She looked up at him wondering what he was doing when she realized, 'He's... made a veil for me.'

A flush crossed her sweet and thoughtful half-demon's cheeks, almost purposefully avoiding her gaze in hopes she couldn't see his expression, but it only caused her heart to swell and her cheeks to flush, matching his.

As Sango, Jinenji, Rin, Shippo, and the children all moved to be seated near the stage, Kagome reached out for Inuyasha's hand tentatively and locked her eyes with his. His hand returned by clasping hers, intertwining their fingers together. Though she could sense how nervous he was, she also sensed his strength.

They proceeded to the stage, where Kaede and Miroku were positioned with their backs to the flames. They sat before Kaede, their hands still interconnected, unmoving from each other's side. They both took one last glance at each other, one last look to enjoy the moment before Kaede began.

"Oh gods that watch over us, on this glorious eve, we usher in a new dawning. With the night brings danger and uncertainty, but with it also comes the inevitable and brilliant dawn. Marriage, much the same, is about compromise and seeing each other through the nights together so that you may take comfort knowing that the dawn is coming. These two souls have endured more hardship than most will ever face in their lifetimes, but through it all, they have defied fate and stand side by side tonight, in hopes of honoring the gods and each other."

Miroku moved to pour the sake into each of the cups that had been placed on an altar before them, ensuring that Inuyasha's had not been purified. As they each took their sips, Kaede continued, "Let this sake purify your body and minds, so that you may proceed with clear thoughts and hearts."

As they finished their sake, she asked, "Of what shall you offer to the gods as a promise to them of your vows here tonight?"

Inuyasha turned to Kagome, unsure of what Kaede was talking about. He was surprised to see her reaching over and gently touching the beads still hanging from his neck, a bright blush across her cheeks. Realizing what she had intended, Inuyasha smiled and nodded, allowing Kagome to gently pull the beads over his head. Audible gasps from the villagers were heard in the distance, though Kagome and Inuyasha paid them no mind, lost in their own world. Kagome lovingly took the beads, reaching for his hand once more, and wrapped their hands together with them. She raised their hands to Kaede, the beads binding them, as they always had. Inuyasha smiled tenderly as they turned back to Kaede.

"Oh great and powerful gods, may this offering be blessed and be a symbol of their everlasting commitment to one another," Kaede professed. The beads began to glow a heavenly bright hue. Inuyasha, momentarily fearful that he was going to be purified by them, was assured by the loving squeeze of his hand that Kagome gave him. Her eyes spoke as if saying, "It's alright."

As the glow faded and the beads returned to their normal tones, Kaede began to recite an ancient prayer over their hands, and a quiet lull had befallen the village as she prayed.

After a few moments, Kaede finished the prayer. They followed her instructions, their hands still bound together, before she commanded, "Inuyasha. Kagome. Make your vows and form your covenant." She quietly moved off the stage, leaving the couple to profess their commitment to each other for the village to bear witness.

Inuyasha suddenly felt a wave of nerves hit him. He was already terrible at articulating his thoughts and feelings, now he had to do so in front of all these people? He hadn't even had any time to prepare. But when he felt the faint touch of Kagome's fingertips on his cheek, urging him to face her, she quelled those fears, the world seemingly falling away from them as she said quietly, "Speak from your heart."

Inuyasha smiled and nodded, gathering the new-found courage Kagome instilled in him, as he realized he knew the words all along, "I promise I will always defend and protect you. I promise I will never waiver in my fealty to you. There will never be a day that I won't be with you, in body or in spirit. I will honor you above all else, and you will have my love until my dying breath."

Kagome's started to tear up as he made his declaration. She raised their still joined hands as she began her vow, "I promise I will always take care of and comfort you. I promise I will never leave your side. There will never be a day that I won't love you with all my heart and soul. I will honor you above all else, and you will have my love until my dying breath."

Inuyasha's ears twitched with excitement as he gently kissed the back of her hand, never breaking the intense eye contact they shared in that moment. Faint sniffles could be heard in the distance, many of the villagers crying at the purity of their affection for each other. It permeated through all of them.

* * *

* * *

Kaede broke the spell they seemed to be under as she clapped once and bowed towards the bonfire, the villagers all joining as they stood from their seats and in a single solid clap in unison, offering their prayers and blessings to the couple. Inuyasha and Kagome, after detangling the beads from their hands, clapped as well, each saying their own silent prayer.

'Please don't let this all be a dream,' Kagome wished.

Within a few moments, bursts of applause and cheers erupted as the ceremony concluded. "Congratulations" and "Banzai" could be heard all around them as they stood on the stage before the bonfire. Inuyasha couldn't believe it. They were actually married!

He felt Kagome tug on his robes as she came into his view, "Kagome…?"

"Inuyasha, will you kiss me?" she asked, her voice barely audible. A devilish smirk crossed his lips, his brow arching mischievously. He turned to hold her shoulder in one hand, wrapping his other behind the back of her neck and tangling his claws in her hair, her hands pressed against his chest, as he pulled her lips to his as they shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

Somehow the cheers became even louder before the instrumentalists began to play once more, the villagers erupting into celebrations around them.

As they ended the kiss, they pressed their foreheads together, Inuyasha nuzzling into her hair, and just stayed there for what seemed like an eternity, basking in each other's presence and the thought of what they'd just done. Their hearts were so full, it felt as though they'd burst. Though after a few moments, they came down from their euphoria as Inuyasha asked, "What was the kiss for?"

Kagome giggled as she laid her head against his chest, "Nothing, just a custom from my time that I've always wanted to do."

"Keh," he smirked again, "Strange woman."

Kagome didn't reply, she just wanted to be held by him like this forever, the warmth of his arms and the fire soothing her.

"Congratulations!" same the voices of their friends as they approached the couple. They turned and thanked their friends for their love and support. Soon, they'd all joined in dancing with the other villagers, including Inuyasha, though not really by choice. As they shared in dancing, singing, and lots of drinking, the night slowly grew late, as many of the villagers started to turn in.

"We're going to head in now, Shippo," Sango said to the little fox demon, who was himself starting to yawn. Sango looked around quickly before she asked, "Have you seen Kagome and Inuyasha? I wanted to wish them good night."

"Oh, they left a while ago, "Shippo replied as he descended from his yawn, "I think they went off alone together."

Sango blushed at his reply, "Ooh! I hadn't realized…"

Miroku laughed as he held their two daughters, one asleep in each arm, "I mean, are you really surprised, Sango? We barely waited for the ceremony itself before we ran off together."

Sango giggled at the memory of their wedding night, before she sweetly replied, "Mind out of the gutter, monk."

Miroku smirked before he turned to Shippo, "Shippo, would you let Lady Kaede know that she and Rin are more than welcome to stay with us for the evening?"

"Why's that?" Shippo asked, "I was looking forward to staying at her hut tonight!"

Sango nervously laughed, "Shippo, it might be best to talk about this when you're a little older, but Inuyasha and Kagome need to have some time alone tonight. It's been a long day for them, and they deserve to rest in peace. But please, let them know. You too are welcome to stay with us!"

Shippo's expression was confused but he nodded before bounding away to tell Kaede for them.

"He is still so naïve in so many ways," Miroku commented.

"Yes. But I'm sure Kagome and Inuyasha would appreciate the time together," she replied as they made their way back to their hut to prepare the bedding for their guests.

* * *

Kagome ran through the village towards Kaede's hut, laughter emitting from her throat. Inuyasha chased after her without much effort, but enjoyed giving her the head start.

They were both relatively tipsy by this point, as they'd had more than enough of their share of sake. The villagers had continued to offer and pour them drinks all night, congratulating him on her nuptials. They'd both been pretty intoxicated, but were still cogent enough to walk and run; though their hormones were clearly getting the better of them. Kagome remembered how he'd pulled her from the dancing, leading her behind one of the nearby lodgings and out of the view of the rest of the villagers. Before she could even ask what he was doing, he'd pinned her against the wall and craned his head to take her lips with his once more. The speed of which he'd done so nearly gave her whiplash, though she wasn't protesting the attention. She remembered so clearly the way his voice sounded when he whispered in her ear, "Run…" before she took off. It was low and husky, almost a growl, and it caused a shiver to run up her spine. It was almost enough to make her trip over herself.

She could hear his quickened pace behind her as she almost made it to the doorway, but just before she could cross the threshold, Inuyasha had tackled her from the side; not hard enough to hurt her, as he made sure to land with her head protected by his arms, but she was definitely pinned beneath him just out of reach of the hut. Her chest heaved as she was out of breath, her eyes hooded, and her cheeks flushed from all the alcohol.

Inuyasha stared down at her, his own breathing laboured, taking in every little thing about her in this moment. He let go of her wrist that he had pinned above her head instinctively, instead moving his hand to the side of her torso, as he leaned down and kissed her passionately and aggressively. Kagome let out a whimper beneath him, bringing her newly released hand to reach around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her body and deeper into the kiss.

He struggled to keep himself in control as she grazed her nails through his hair and across his scalp, pressing herself against him in just a way that would've been considered unbecoming of any priestess. He quickly ended the moment and stood, taking her into his arms in the way he always would, and said in a low hum, "Gotcha."

Kagome laughed at the smirk on his face, wrapping her arms around his neck before he took her towards the hut and crossing its threshold. As they entered, Inuyasha quickly, though carefully, dispatched Kagome on the futon in their usual corner of the hut that they shared with the old priestess and his brother's ward. At the loss of his touch, Kagome spoke softly, "Inuyasha…?"

"I'll just be a moment," he replied quickly, the tone still loving, not wanting her to worry. He left through the doorway, and Kagome sat on their bed, feeling the rapid racing of her heart. She was sweating, her skin veiled lightly in its sheen, and she felt as though she couldn't quite catch her breath. As she raised her hand to feel her heartbeat, she felt the familiar weight that had been in her kimono sleeve all night. She reached in and pulled out the Beads of Subjugation. Rolling the beads back and forth in her palm and fingers, she contemplated them and smiled, knowing that this was what bound them together.

She heard a loud thud against the doorframe as she looked up and saw Inuyasha entering the hut, and barricading the door behind him.

"Inuyasha?! What're you doing?" Kagome questioned, as she saw the giant boulder that now blocked the doorway.

"Whatdya think I'm doing? I'm not gonna let anyone ruin this. Not tonight!" he replied, adjusting the massive rock before moving to shutter all the windows as well.

Kagome laughed as she was reminded about the last time they'd tried to be intimate together. It'd only happened once before, but because they still didn't have a home for themselves, they didn't exactly have much in the way of privacy, nor did it come often.

At the time, it had been a few days that Inuyasha and Miroku were gone for an exorcism. When they returned home, Kaede and Rin had been out helping a neighboring village with a much-needed herbal remedy due to a recent miasma infection. Kagome had stayed behind to guard the village, as she was the only one able to defend it against any potential attacks. When he got back and walked into the hut, his robe was torn all over the place, and he was clearly injured from a battle, though not intensely.

He'd initially brushed off the wounds, but upon further consideration at the thought of Kagome tending to him, he gave in to her request to treat him. Maybe there was just something about the way he looked with his robes torn in places that exposed certain skin and muscles, or maybe the way he smelled – vaguely sweaty, but sweet as well – either way, Kagome wasn't able to keep her hands off him. He'd been hesitant at first, but eventually, she'd gotten the better of him.

However, before they could go much further, Rin came running in, and found them in a heap on the floor of the hut, with Inuyasha's bare chest exposed and Kagome's robe almost completely undone.

Luckily, Kaede was a slow walker, so she missed the inappropriate display in her hut, but Inuyasha threatened Rin that if she ever told a single soul about it – especially his brother – he'd tear all the beautiful kimono that Sesshomaru had given her to shreds.

Kagome ended up talking with the younger girl about it later, and she was very understanding.

"Fair enough," she replied, as she snuck up behind him, wrapping her arms up and over his chest, resting her head against his back, asking him, "But where will they sleep? We can't kick them out of their own hut."

Inuyasha stilled his movement as he felt her presence behind him, his body shivering at her touch. He finished the last window before he turned and enveloped her I his arms, resting her head under his chin, "Like I give a damn where they go. I'm sure someone in the village will give them shelter for the night."

Kagome giggled at the notion, though he was probably right. If Kagome knew Sango and Miroku, they'd likely already offered them room to sleep.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered in the same low voice he'd used before, and it sent Kagome into a tizzy. She craned her neck to look up at him as he leaned in and captured her lips eagerly, her hands fisting into his suikan. Inuyasha lifted her effortlessly as he carried her back to their futon, gently laying her on the cushioned bedding, never disconnecting from their embrace.

He laid over her, their bodies firmly pressed against one another, perfectly aware of what they did to each other. He could smell her so thoroughly it was all he could focus on. If there was a demon attack right now, he'd never have known it.

Kagome could feel him through his hakama, pressing into her thigh. She moaned into his mouth as she felt him press even harder, the weight absolutely delighting her, but at the same time frustrating her to no end. As he made his way down her neck, licking and kissing across to her collarbone, Kagome couldn't hold back her arousal.

She began to reach for the folds of his robes, desperate to feel his skin. He could feel her pulling at the fabric, and as she managed to open it, he leaned up and looked upon her, his beautiful silver hair cascading around them, blocking out the rest of the world. His eyes looked almost… solemn? Kagome couldn't quite place the expression, but she reached up to his cheek and asked him, "What's wrong?"

His gaze flickered a little before he replied, "I need to ask you something before we go any further."

He looked so suddenly nervous, and she couldn't help but find it so adorable. She smiled at him, knowing there was nothing he could ask of her that she wouldn't be willing to give in that moment, as she asked, "What is it?"

He'd been dreading broaching this subject, mostly because he was unsure how to explain it to her. As happy as he was that they were married, it didn't mean much to other demons. It may have meant something to humans, but to other demons, if she wasn't marked, she'd be at risk. He sighed before he spoke, "When demons take a partner, they mate for life, and mark each other as such. Otherwise, there's always a risk of another demon coming and claiming them."

Kagome listened intently, though she found it hard not to blush at the insinuation. She giggled as she brushed some of his hair away from his face, "You've already taken me as your wife. I'm not about to say 'no' to you taking me as your mate."

"I'm serious, Kagome. It isn't as easy as a wedding ceremony," Inuyasha explained, though Kagome didn't argue.

"It's alright," she said quietly, explaining, "Besides, we have a similar custom in my time."

Inuyasha ears perked up as his eyes widened. He definitely hadn't been expecting that response. She continued, "People would wear bands on their fingers to tell others that they were married and unavailable."

His eyes softened as he went into more detail, "It's not just something you can wear though. It'll be a permanent mark that you'll carry with you, and… it'll be painful. But it'll protect you, at least from other de..."

Kagome gently places her fingers on his lips to quiet him, nodding as she whispered, "I understand."

How was it she was able to calm him so thoroughly in that moment? He'd been so scared of her rejection, but she'd been nothing but open and comforting to all of this. How the hell did he end up with someone like her? Inuyasha smiled as he leaned into her palm before closing his eyes and kissing it, relishing in the feeling of her acceptance. He could feel her hand pull him back down as he went willingly, pressing his lips to hers once more.

They'd continued where they'd left off the moment before, disrobing each other carefully, following the fabric as it left their skin exposed for each other's attention. Kagome brushed her fingertips delicately across his scarred back, feeling so many of this own marks that marred his form and reminded her of the many moments he'd put himself in danger to protect her, risked his life for her. If this was the one thing she could do for him, she'd endure the pain. He'd suffered so much.

Inuyasha could feel her brush his scars, his body shivering in response. Her hand came around to his front where the scar over his heart was most prevalent. But as she tentatively smoothed over it, he let out a low growl, and took her hand gently, moving it away from the scar. Those were memories he didn't want to relive, especially not now.

Instead, he brought her hand to the side his cheek once more, enjoying the feel of her hand there. She reached up through his hair and began to gently rub his ear and it made him melt. He let out an animalistic groan before jokingly warning her, "Keep that up and this'll be over very quickly."

Kagome gave him an almost evil grin, continuing her ministrations, "What will you do about it?"

Inuyasha slid his hand up her slender thigh as his other came around her torso, pulling her nude form upright against his own. He sat back on his legs as they folded under him, letting Kagome sit on his lap, a leg on either side of his waist, kneeling just slightly over him. They'd fit together so perfectly, as her chest pushed against his own. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she pressed her lips to his, letting her hands dangle over each other just behind his head and tangling in his mane. His own hands came up behind her back to support her, pressing her more firmly against him.

Inuyasha held her there, enjoying the way she looked down at him in the moment. There was no reservation in her eyes, and he could barely handle the intense gaze. He rested his face in the crook of her neck as he breathed heavily, "I love you, Kagome."

She held his head in her arms as she groaned in his ear, "My Inuyasha."

A primitive rumble escaped his throat as they aligned themselves against each other and swiftly, holding her by her shoulder and waist, he pulled her hard against his hips. Kagome almost let out a scream as she tried to restrain herself, feeling the sting between her legs erupt, though it soon dulled compared to the raw sensation that ripped down her back. Inuyasha, using his claws, left long, shallow marks along her back from just under her shoulder blade to the curve of her hip. She wanted to scream out, though Inuyasha pushed her head into his neck and encouraged her to bite him to help deal with the pain. He could handle it, though the smell of her fresh blood made it hard for him to keep control.

As he felt her bite down, her body shuttered from the rush of conflicting sensations coursing through her; the pain and pleasure of it all became hard to parse out one from the other. It all felt so devastating, but she wouldn't be overcome by it. She endured. Inuyasha remained still for the moment, letting her deal with the discomfort first, "Kagome…?"

He felt her nails drag across his shoulders as she regained her breath, eventually releasing her jaws from the junction at his neck as she moaned, "I'm fine… Ugh…"

He turned his head, hearing the pain in her voice, "We can stop. We don't need to…"

"No!" Kagome interrupted him before he could finish the thought, she groaned in his ear, "Please…" her hand moved to take his arm back around her, silently asking him to continue.

He hesitated, not wanting to hurt her any more than he already had. Leaving the mark alone was killing him, but this was also their first time together, and likely hers. He knew there was pain associated with a woman's first time laying with a man, and he wished he could take that pain for her.

As he held her for a moment longer, just enjoying the feeling of the two of them there together joined in a way he'd never imagine would be possible. He tentatively started to rock his hips against hers, alert to the audible cues she'd give that indicated if she was in pain.

And she was, but it wasn't enough to prevent her from enjoying this moment with her husband. She had been somewhat surprised by his thoughtfulness, and how keenly aware he was of her comfort. He was careful and slow, but passionate all at the same time. She could feel his lips against her shoulders and neck, doing wonders to soothe the pain, replacing it with only euphoria.

When the only sounds she made were of grateful moans, he braved moving harder against her, and she responded in kind. They moved in unison as if they'd truly become one in mind and body in that time, a mix of hands and lips and limbs tangled as they found their way to nirvana together. He pulled her hips tightly to his as they both climaxed together, feeling the marks on her back heating and pulse under his palm as they did so, forever sealing them together as mates.

Kagome's body strained as she cried out for him, she could feel the gashes on her back burn, though it only added a new sensation all together to the experience – one that she was not entirely opposed to.

As they heaved heavy breaths, attempting to regain themselves, Inuyasha continued to hold Kagome, her form having lost the energy to hold herself up. He leaned her slightly away from his shoulder, using one arm to hold her waist as the other reached up to brush the stranded of hair that had matted against her cheek away. She smiled at him as he did so, exhaustion clear on her face, but it was angelic, like she'd found peace.

He leaned under the cascade of her hair and nuzzled her lovingly in an attempt to comfort her, and it worked. She pressed her lips against his temple as she spoke, "I love you… so much."

Inuyasha gave her waist a squeeze before he gently leaned her back down onto the bedding, careful as to not lay her weight on the fresh scars on her back. Though they'd stopped openly bleeding, they would still be painful and tender for a few days.

"I'm so sorry," Inuyasha apologized as he joined her on the mat.

Kagome gave him a questioning look and asked, "Huh? What for?"

As he laid on his side, his head resting on his hand in a position he'd done so many times before. He laid just far enough he could still touch her, but not put any pressure on her body, he replied, "That I hurt you. It must've been painful for you."

Kagome smiled, "Since when did you become so considerate?"

Inuyasha scoffed under his breath looking away from her as his cheeks warmed, "Keh!"

Of course, he'd try to brush off his open show of concern for her, but when she thought about it, a devilish grin slid onto her face as she replied, "Actually… I kinda liked it."

Inuyasha's eyes looked back at her in shock, seeing the coy smile she gave him. He turned, his own smirk emerging, "Oooh, I see! Looks like someone likes things a little rough, do they?"

Kagome playfully placed a finger to her lips, as if telling him it was a secret that she'd never reveal. After a moment, she replied, "But… thank you… for being so concerned and attentive."

Inuyasha tried to ignore the thanks, as he reached over and grabbed the blanket to cover them both, but he found it hard to not smile at knowing he'd done well to please her and take care of her needs.

As they held each other, slowly drifting to sleep, Kagome suddenly asked, "Inuyasha?"

He made a noise, letting her know he was listening, though found it hard to open his eyes, both from exhaustion and bliss. She continued, "If I'm marked as your mate, what do you have that tells demons that you're my mate as well?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched, "Normally, we'd mark each other, but since you're not a demon, I guess I won't have one."

Kagome thought about it for a moment before she sat up and reached for her robes. Inuyasha leaned up when he felt her move from his embrace and heard the familiar jangle of the Beads of Subjugation.

She held them in her hands delicately as he moved to look over her shoulder, the both of them staring at the item. They eyed the beads for a good few moments of contemplation before Inuyasha broke the silence and reached out for the beads. Kagome turned to look back at him as he placed them back around his neck. If she accepted his custom, the least he could do was accept hers.

"I'll wear them… as my mark," he said softly.

Kagome turned slightly and reached over, placing her hand on his bare chest, and leaned to press her lips to his once more. As they returned to sleep, Kagome commented jokingly, "I guess I can't enchant them again, can I?"

Inuyasha gave her waist a gentle squeeze as he lovingly growled in her ear, "If you do, I'll make you beg for the pain of tonight."

Kagome giggled, "That supposed to be a threat?'

Inuyasha, unable to contain his joy, kissed the junction of her neck, and said, "No. Just reminding you that we're on equal terms now."

She smoothed her hands over the arm that was secured around her waist, letting him know that she appreciated the gesture. They soon drifted to sleep, blissful, and content in their new bond together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! That was a fun one to write!
> 
> I kind of go back and forth on writing fluffy smutty stuff, so I hope this was satisfying to you all!
> 
> Hopefully I'll have another chapter next week, but I'll do my best to try and keep up a consistent cadence of uploads.
> 
> Again, I have a couple more ideas for one-shots in this series, so if you have any suggestions, let me know in the reviews, and I'll see if they spark some inspiration.
> 
> Also, please follow/favourite the story if you enjoy these and want more, it's been a big motivation for me to keep this up.
> 
> **EDIT: I've added some minor new elements to this chapter. Courtesy of the amazing and wonderful Jessy M (thunderpot on tumblr), who I commissioned to draw the wedding scene from this chapter, she gave me the wonderful idea to have Inuyasha provide Kagome with his suikan to act as her veil for the ceremony. It absolutely warmed my heart, and I had to add it in!
> 
> You can see the scene depicted in the fic's Cover Image, but I've also posted the higher-res version on my tumblr (theundeadfandom)
> 
> Until Next Time…


	3. Worth It

_**Three months after Kagome's return…** _

She could hear the shuffle of bushes and grass coming from her left side as something massive barreled towards them, the ground shaking under their feet.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out to him.

"I'm on it!" he answered, flying through the air with Tessaiga drawn. Making quick work of it, he slashed down the trees in the direction of the noise as if they'd been nothing, but was shocked to not see the target of his attack cut down as well, "What the hell?"

In the distance, he heard the nocking of Kagome's bow behind him, turning to see her take aim at the colossal snake demon they'd been contracted to kill, coming at her full-force from the opposite side of the clearing. 'It was a diversion!' Inuyasha screamed internally.

"Hit the mark!" she cried out as she launched the arrow, piercing the demon right in its eye. It let out an ear-piercing screech as it began to lash out wildly from pain. Kagome reached behind her and attempted to draw another arrow in the hopes of taking it down completely, but she was pulled away quickly by her waist, the tail of the demon just barely missing her as it flailed about.

"Idiot, you wanna get yourself killed?" Inuyasha antagonized her as he retreated to the forest for cover.

"For your information, I almost had it," Kagome retorted as she regained her composure, staring back at the snake demon still thrashing about in agony, knocking over various trees as if they were paper dolls.

"Sure ya did…" Inuyasha said sarcastically, "It ain't much of a threat now. I can take it out in one - huh?"

Before he could finish his thought, the demon had reared back and poised itself for another attack, appearing more vicious than before.

"You were saying?" Kagome taunted him sweetly as they both readied their weapons. The demon roared as it moved swiftly, slithering across the open clearing and lunged towards them to attack.

"Ready?!" Inuyasha barked hurriedly.

"Go!" Kagome shouted as she released her arrow, the familiar bright glow surrounding it as it flew across the open air. Inuyasha raised Tessaiga, launching his Wind Scar in time with Kagome's arrow. Their combined attack immediately dispelled the demon, leaving only an echo of its death cry before vanishing without a trace of the creature having ever existed in the first place.

Kagome sighed as the demon dissipated, lowering her bow, "That was close."

Inuyasha agreed, sheathing Tessaiga, "Yeah, too close." He turned back to her and asked, "You alright?"

Kagome nodded as she secured her bow over her shoulder, "Yeah, I'm fine. Come on, we should head back to the village and let them know it's done."

As the pair made their way back through the forest and towards the village that had commissioned their services, Kagome commented, "It feels weird… doing this again."

Inuyasha looked at her from the corner of his eye and asked, "Weird how?"

She smiled, "Just like… I haven't done this in a while. I feel so out of practice."

"Well, it _has_ been a while. Unless you've been slaying demons in your era without my knowing, "Inuyasha scoffed.

Kagome giggled as she pushed his shoulder playfully, "I'm serious! I think I need to come out on more of these. Otherwise, I'm just not as effective as I used to be."

Inuyasha immediately shot down the idea, "Keh! Not if I can help it. You're only here because Miroku wanted some time with Sango and the kids for a while and he doesn't trust me to negotiate the payment for these hunts on my own. If it were up to me, I would've just come alone and you'd be back at the village."

"You can't stop me from coming, and you know it, "Kagome replied, her voice sounding sweet but assertive, "As much as I appreciate your concern, I need the practice."

Inuyasha only gave her a "Hmph," as his reply. As much as it frustrated him, and he hated putting her in danger needlessly, Inuyasha had to agree with her. He wanted her to be able to protect herself and she was woefully out of practice, both with her archery and her spiritual powers. Even when she hit that snake demon, she wasn't able to create a sacred arrow in time, which would've taken it out almost instantaneously. And if he hadn't been there, she'd probably be seriously injured right about now… or worse. If for whatever reason he wasn't there for her, he wanted to know she was capable of taking care of herself. This world was far more dangerous than hers was, and she needed to be able to defend herself.

Inuyasha sighed, "Fine, but you don't go on any demon hunts or exorcisms without me there. Got it?"

Kagome smiled knowing she'd won him over, looping her arm around his, and joked, "My protective watchdog."

Inuyasha growled at her, "I told you to stop calling me that!"

She could only giggle, "I can't help it! You're so overprotective."

Inuyasha's cheeks went hot, "Keh! Is there something wrong with that?"

She shook her head before resting against his shoulder, "Not at all."

As they broke through the foliage, Inuyasha said quietly, "Though I gotta admit, it was nice… to have you fight by my side again." Kagome beamed at this comment and squeezed his arm, confirming that she felt the same.

As they approached the villagers and made their arrangements with the headman for their payment, the pair had resolved to leave immediately to get back to the village before nightfall.

"Oh won't you please stay with us?" asked the headman, "Stay and rest the night. We can offer you food, lodging, and a bath. It's the least we can do after you've been so helpful to eliminate the snake demon."

Inuyasha tried to ignore the offer, "Thanks, but – Ow!"

The hard yank on his ear stopped him swiftly as Kagome interrupted him, "We'd love to! Thank you so much!"

With a grateful bow, the headman replied with a broad smile, "Wonderful! We shall make the preparations for you! Just let us know if there's anything we can get for you both to make your stay more comfortable." Kagome nodded before he'd ran off to start getting everything prepared for them.

"Kagome, what's up with yanking on my ear like that?!" Inuyasha scowled, rubbing his sensitive ear in pain, "That really hurt!"

An apologetic look crossed her face as she replied, "I'm sorry, but when I heard they have a bathhouse here…" she was starry-eyed as she thought about the possibility of having a real bath again.

Immediately keying into what she was saying, Inuyasha replied, "Ohh, I see. You want one of those death traps you call a relaxing bath, right?"

Kagome flushed before she continued, "Well… yes! I haven't had one in ages, and I really miss it. Please?"

She wasn't wrong. The last time was well before she'd returned to this time. Since then, she'd been bathing in the cold water at the river pretty regularly, and this was her first time traveling far enough outside the village to be close to a hot spring, let alone a proper bathhouse.

He smiled at her plead to stay in the village for the night, and replied, "Fine, but we leave first thing in the morning."

Kagome's eye lit up with excitement at the idea of being able to have a proper bath again, "Yes! Thank you! Besides…"

She paused, waiting for Inuyasha to look at her, "Huh?" he saw the sudden hooded look in her eye that usually only came out when they were alone together, and he immediately flushed.

As she peered up at him through her lashes, she barely whispered adding a slightly husky tone to her voice, "This'll give us some time _alone_ before we go back to the village," the way she emphasized the word 'alone' sending a very clear message.

Inuyasha had to struggle to not run off with her at that moment. It was tempting, and she knew what she was doing. With a squint in his eye and a devilish smirk that telegraphed his sudden interest, he grit through his teeth, "You evil little succubus…"

Ever since their wedding, it'd been harder and harder for them to find adequate time alone together. Kaede and Rin rarely left the village for longer than a few hours at a time, and almost never at the same time. They'd made their way off into the forest on multiple occasions when they were both insatiable, but as much as Kagome would tell him that she didn't mind, he knew she deserved better than being ravaged in a bush and on the cold, dewy grass. He had to admit, he liked the idea of being properly alone with her again, and not in a hurried or frantic way.

Kagome giggled sweetly as brushed her hand along the back of his shoulder, walking towards the lodging that the headman was inviting them towards. His gaze followed her as she walked away, enjoying the view. Oh, they'd definitely take their time tonight.

* * *

"Ahh, that's the stuff!" Kagome sighed as she lowered herself into the nearly scalding hot water, almost submerging completely into its depths. The bath was inviting, steaming, and warm, curing her rigid limbs near instantaneously. The aroma of lavender and jasmine lofted through the air as well, creating an intensely soothing atmosphere the moment she'd walked into the house.

"I dunno how you can tolerate it at this temperature," Inuyasha grumbled as made his way to join her.

Kagome almost moaned as she felt her muscles loosen in the heat, "But it feels so gooood…"

She heard him scoff behind her as he came up to the side and tried to test the water, recoiling from the intense warmth. His long silver hair was tied loosely up into a bun at the back of his head, and the sheen of his sweat was already visible across his form. Kagome giggled as he eagerly did his best to adjust to the temperature, managing to get his feet into the water, sitting at the edge to let his legs adapt before fully entering, "You know, you don't have to come in if you don't want to, right?" she teased.

It'd barely been a thought. Like hell he was going to pass up the opportunity to be alone with his wife when she was at her most relaxed. He had been more than willing to tolerate it if it meant getting wet and naked like this. He countered as he slid in the rest of the way, resting his arms over the edge to avoid having to put them in the steaming liquid, "Like I don't know that… Ah!"

She couldn't hold back her laughter at his obvious discomfort, floating gracefully across the tub to sit with him. She sat in front of him on the bench within the water, though she turned inward and folded her legs to rest in his lap. She leaned her cheek against his collarbone, letting Inuyasha easily drape his arm across her shoulder.

As they acclimatized to the soothing environment, enjoying the feel of each other huddled in the water, Inuyasha lowered the arm that draped around her shoulder, trailing his hand across her skin to her back, feeling for the scars that permanently ran down her back; the scars he'd given her.

She could feel his touch on the sensitive area, her back arching slightly away from him. The pain had definitely subsided since he'd given them to her, but they'd felt so sensitive ever since. She almost couldn't control how her body reacted when he touched her there. Her body shivered, even in the intense heat of the bath. He felt the reaction and pressed his lips to her hair, nuzzling his face into her hair lazily. They were so content to stay this way. The longer Kagome had been there, the more they'd become comfortable just in each other's presence. There was never a needless fear to converse or fill the air with unimportant rabble or worries. They'd just relished the sense of being there… together.

But there had been a question he'd been wanting to ask her for some time now. He had his motivations for wanting to ask but now was as good a time as any to press her, especially when she was relaxed and comfortable, and would be more likely to go into details.

"Kagome?" he started softly, feeling her nod her head under his cheek, "You really miss these baths, right? Like the ones you had back in your time?"

She languidly nodded again, replying quietly, "Uh huh."

Inuyasha continued down his line of thought, "Is there… anything else you miss from your home?"

Kagome slowly adjusted her position, resting her back fully against his torso and sitting between his legs, pulling his arms around her shoulders and letting his hands dangle casually in front of her. She felt his cheek press against the top of her head as she thought carefully of her answer. She hadn't thought about it much, but there were definitely things she felt she would have loved to have had again, if ever given the chance, "I guess… Yeah, there are a few things I miss."

Inuyasha's arms tightened slightly and she could feel him inhale deeply, "Like what?"

She smiled at his curiosity, "My bed… you know that long, thick cushion I slept on, with the wooden frame?" She could feel him nod in response, "I was always able to sleep so well on that thing."

He made a mental note of that, "What else?"

Kagome struggled to think of other things she thought were a huge convenience, "I miss instant food. I never thought I'd miss such low-quality meals, but…"

"Low quality?!" Inuyasha spat back, " _I_ still think about the ninja food!"

He felt her giggle against his chest, "Yeah, but compared to home cooking, it isn't as good. But having the convenience of not having to cook every single meal, it's a nice luxury is all."

She felt him settle back against her comfortably, listening to her answers intently, "Anything else?"

"Hmm…" She pondered for another moment before remembering something that she did sorely miss, "I miss my music."

"Music?" he asked.

She nodded, a sigh audible in her response, "Yeah… I miss listening to my music. There were some songs I wish I had with me," she thought about the music she'd listened to when she was depressed during the three years they were separated. She still remembered them vividly, but who knew how long those memories would last. Over time, you'd start to forget the way they sounded, and how they make you feel. Music always had a way of pulling you back to a moment in time, like as if it'd just happened.

Inuyasha pulled her closer and asked, "Do you still remember them?"

"Yeah. I remember one in particular that really stuck with me," she replied before she started humming a few of the bars of the chorus to give him the idea of the song. Her chest vibrated from the sound, and Inuyasha moved his arms to around her waist, feeling the subtle tremors even more. Obviously, she knew her voice couldn't hope to match that of the original singer, but she couldn't help but remember how solemn she always felt when she listened to this song, and it comforted her a little to know that, at least at that time, she had something that reflected how she felt.

"It sounds nice," Inuyasha whispered, "I wish there was a way for you to keep it with you."

Kagome smiled, "There was, in my time. They have these tools that record music so you can listen to it as many times as you'd like and bring it with you wherever you go."

Inuyasha seemed perplexed by the idea of capturing music to play repeatedly, "Isn't that cruel to keep someone to play music whenever you want?"

A soft giggle erupted from her throat at the idea he'd concocted from his interpretation, "Hehehe, no, no. they aren't forced to play it. The device makes a copy of the sounds… Uh, how do I explain it…?" Right, there wasn't any recording technology in this time, so of course, the concept seems foreign in and of itself, "Think of it like writing down what someone says. You're making something that other people can read and enjoy without the original person standing there and saying it to you."

"Ooh, I see," he replied, vaguely starting to understand what she meant. She felt his arm loosen from around her waist as he reached for something behind him, returning shortly with a washcloth in hand and began to lightly use the water to clean her form. He thought about her answers for a moment and asked, "Kagome, do you miss being home?"

Kagome turned her chin pointedly to look up at him, her eyes growing worried at the tone he used, "Inuyasha…" she said his name almost like a spell, hoping to calm his thoughts.

This wasn't a new discussion for them. He'd asked her something along this vein many times before, and he knew she would always quell his fears in the moment. But something in him just felt like she was just putting on a brave face for his sake.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, shaking his head, "I know I've brought it up before, but I can't help it. It nags at me."

She leaned back against his chest resting her head on his shoulder and pressed her lips against his neck, her hand reaching up to trace invisible lines on the other side, "You have nothing to worry about. Nothing back there could make me wish I took this all back. I don't regret it, any of it."

"But how? How can you not…" he countered but was promptly interrupted. The assertive pull on his hair, the sound of the water splashing in his ears, and the feeling of soft lips pressed to his silenced his protests immediately. His mind went blank, forgetting what point he was even trying to make in the first place as she teased his lips with her tongue. Why was she so good at making him lose his train of thought? He pulled her up to kneel over him as they continued their loving affections; fingers getting lost in hair, wet skin pressed firmly against wet skin, as they pulled each other so close that they were afraid that if they let go, they'd be gone forever.

When they eventually broke, a strong need for air overcoming them, Kagome stared down at him amorously, brushing the hair that matted to his cheek away, and said in the most adoring way he'd ever heard her speak, "This is my home now," she paused as she stared into his reflective, golden eyes, making sure he was listening to her, because she refused to repeat herself again, " _You_ are my home."

His eyes softened, almost looking sad, like as if what she'd said was an insult, "You could've had so much more than me. So much better…"

Kagome tightened her arms around his shoulders at the insinuation he was making, "There's nothing I could want more than to be with you."

Inuyasha never got the chance to argue before she kissed him again, knowing it would stop his mind from running. She continued against his lips, "You've already done so much for me, sacrificed so much for me. All to make me feel like I belong here. So please don't think that this isn't enough. It's more than I could've ever imagined. How could I ever look back on this and think I'd made a mistake?"

The last vestiges of his worry hung by a thread as he listened to her, his heart soaring to know she so thoroughly wanted this life, "So… you never think about what it might've been like if you'd never come back here?"

"Inuyasha…" she gently leaned back down to press a single firm kiss against his lips once more, hovering over him, a hair of space between them as she said, "I tried to live that life – a life without you – and I couldn't bear it. If I was given the chance again, I'd make the same choice… every time."

The smirk that crossed her face was visible within her eyes, her voice having a certain promise behind it as she asked, "Got it?"

Inuyasha was overwhelmed by her very being as his eyes nearly crossed from her intense gaze. He swallowed a dry lump that had been the last fragment of his remaining doubts and nodded to affirm that he understood. Kagome sighed, "Good," as she returned to her lips to his, rewarding him swiftly.

The water went cold well before they'd even thought to leave the tub to go to their room for the night, they'd spent so long just basking in this moment with each other. It was a rare opportunity they'd been offered by this village, and they definitely weren't going to waste this splendid isolation they'd been granted from the rest of the world.

* * *

The following day, Kagome groaned as they walked along the path that led back to their village, feeling so weak from lack of sleep. They'd definitely not gotten much rest last night.

"Inuyasha, would you carry me?" she asked melodically, "I'm so tired."

"Heh, that'll teach ya. Shouldn't have such an insatiable appetite then," he joked, giving her a sideways glance as he ignored her plea, just to taunt her.

"Come oooon! Don't pretend you weren't just as willing a participant. I seem to remember someone asking for a third-round last night," the smirk was audible in the way she spoke, and it made Inuyasha take a step back.

She leaned against his arm and asked again, "Please?"

He sighed, his face hot with embarrassment and unable to shut out her request, he grumbled under his breath, "Fine…"

It wasn't long before she was out cold, resting her head against his shoulder. He could feel the even beating of her heart and the slow rhythm of her breathing that indicated as such. She really was exhausted.

'Perfect,' he thought to himself.

As they arrived back to the village, he quietly deposited a sleeping Kagome in their futon. She didn't stir, only cuddling fervently into the warm blankets. He gently brushed his hand over her hair before he stood and left the hut, vanishing, and not saying where he was going.

When she awoke a few hours later, Kagome wasn't worried when he wasn't there; he never left for more than a few hours at a time, unless it was for a demon hunt in another village, and they'd always told them when they were leaving. 'He did seem like he as in a hurry to get back', she thought to herself as she worked away on some herbs that she'd gathered from the fields. She assumed he had some kind of thing he needed to do that was urgent.

The sun was maybe a good hour away from sunset, and Kagome stretched, feeling her body ache again from sitting for so long. She glanced around and saw her bow and arrows in the corner. She'd enjoyed the feeling and strength she had when she was in battle again. It had been a long time since she'd felt that power, even if she was still miserably out of practice.

'Maybe I can go up to the forest and get in some target practice?' she thought to herself. No harm in just shooting some arrows to hone one's marksmanship, right? And there was at least another hour before it got even remotely dark. She set aside the herbs she'd been organizing and stood to retrieve her weapon.

The village was settling down for the night, so she didn't run into anyone on her way to the forest, which she was silently grateful for. She wanted to use the time well and as much as she was fine to walk around at night, she knew her dog-eared husband would come looking for her if she was out too late. While he'd never restricted her from doing as she pleased, she knew he'd get worried.

She took up a spot not far from the Sacred Tree and began to practice her shots, initially making poor excuses of an effort.

"Come on, Kagome. You're better than this," she vocalized to herself, as she went to retrieve the arrows from the ground around the tree she'd been aiming at. As she regained her composure and concentrated on her target, she was able to start making more and more of her shots, though she still had trouble focusing her spiritual energy into the arrows.

Even if she didn't get much out of this session physically, it was very meditative. She contemplated the conversation she'd had with Inuyasha the previous night, and wondered if she'd been too harsh or dismissive of his feelings when she explained her perspective to him. But sometimes he needed to have things bashed over his skull to get him to understand the point she was making.

When she was back in her time, no matter how hard she'd tried to move on and _tried_ to believe she'd never see him again, she was utterly miserable. She knew what it felt like to be without him, and she couldn't stand to live that way for the rest of her life, knowing what could've been. He was right about one thing though; she did miss certain things about home. She missed her Mom, Grandpa, and Souta mostly. But she'd been able to say her goodbyes, and as much as it hurt to think she'd never see them again, she had made her peace with that. She knew they'd be alright… but more importantly, so would she.

She didn't feel that way when she was in her time. Even with all the comforts and conveniences, her friends and family, she genuinely wasn't sure she would've been happy if she'd never come back here. It was like her mind knew that nothing would be as good as it was being here… by his side.

Eventually, as her thoughts became more focused, she'd managed to channel an arrow with such massive amounts of energy that the arrow caused an explosion, shattering her target into a million pieces. She was thrown back by the shockwave, dumbfounded at her own strength, "Well… I guess that's enough practice for one day, heh?"

But before she could even compose herself, she heard rustling in the nearby bushes and sat up to see what was causing the noise. She was taken aback when an ogre demon emerged, having followed the noise of the explosion.

"Oh great!" she cried out sarcastically as she desperately reached for one of her arrows, realizing that she'd shot her last one during practice, "Just my luck…"

The demon roared at an almost deafening volume and charged towards her, raising his arms back to slam its fists into her. Kagome managed to roll out of it's away just in time, making a dash through the forest. As she dodged the shrubbery, she shouted to herself, 'Think! What can I use as a weapon?'

She looked at the bow in her hands and realized, "Right!"

The demon wasn't far behind as Kagome turned to face it bravely. She held the bow in front of her and with her other hand, she engaged a hand gesture that Kaede had shown her to channel her energy into an object. It was used in exorcisms and would expel any demon who got too close to it.

"Please work," she said to herself before feeling the flow of energy into the bow, a glow surrounding it. She grasped the bow with both hands, feeling that sudden rush of strength as she violently thrust the end of it into the ground by her feet, spiritual energy radiating from the bow.

* * *

Inuyasha approached Kaede's hut just as dusk began to set in, eager to see Kagome again. As he neared the entrance, he heard some of the villagers' gasps as they looked out towards the forest. In the distance, a bright flash of heavenly light emitting from the canopy of trees.

"Look there!" he heard some the villagers shout. The light soon faded, but it was certainly abnormal.

'It can't be…' Inuyasha thought to himself, a moment of dread filling him as he moved to brush open the straw door, only to find the hut to be completely empty. Kagome wasn't there.

'Kagome!' he panicked as he dashed towards the forest as fast as his feet would carry him, 'Please… please be alright!'

* * *

The demon was knocked back by the intensity of the energy, giving her ample time to either escape or find another way to dispose of the demon. As capable as she was, she'd never managed to take on a demon alone before. She'd almost always had someone there with her. But she was alone, and she had to think of something.

'If I run, it'll just follow me to the village,' Kagome rationalized, 'I need to get rid of it, now!'

She pulled the bow from the ground and made a run for the arrows she'd used in her practice back in the woods, while the demon was still down. She sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her and clamped down hard to snag one of the arrows from the ground. The demon had recovered its footing and lunged towards her in a desperate attack before she could get another assault at it. As it snarled, fangs and claws bared, Kagome quickly spun on her knee with an almost expert level of precision to avoid its swipe for her head, but she hadn't seen its leg come up a second after and give her a swift kick to the chest, throwing her back against a tree and knocking the wind out of her for a moment.

There wasn't a second before the demon approached again, and Kagome struggled to regain herself. She ducked as the demon tried to swipe at her head, taking out the tree behind her instead.

In a quick moment of action, she raised the bow to the demon and another pulse radiated from it, pushing the creature a good length back from her. It gave her a minute to breathe as she sat up on one knee to face the demon. It unleashed a feral screech. She nocked her arrow as fast as she could muster, launching it with a stronger energy than she'd probably ever managed before, adrenaline coursing through her veins, "Go!"

A bright light erupted as the arrow struck the demon head-on, resulting in a scream of pain as it was purified from the world.

Only small flecks of light remained as the demon dissipated, and Kagome was left heaving for breaths at the sudden exhaustion that overtook her. She sat back from her kneeling position and rested back on her hands, realizing what she'd just done.

She'd managed to slay a demon… all on her own… A sudden rush of pride came over her as she smiled, relief washing over her that she wasn't dead.

When she tried to take some deep breaths, she felt a sharp pang in her side. She reached for her ribs and felt the pain that emanated from there, 'Feels like I may have cracked a rib,' she theorized. After a few moments, and attempts at deep, calming breaths, Kagome sat up and looked around her to assess the damage from the battle, keeping a hand clutched to her side to ease some of the pain. But in the distance, between some trees and bushes, she could only notice something she'd never seen before…

"A house?" she said aloud, confused at the presence of the structure. There were no houses or huts this far out from the village, and certainly not this close to the Sacred Tree.

She stood from her spot on the forest floor and tentatively approached the home, wondering who it belonged to.

The home was elevated about two feet off the ground and had a veranda that wrapped around the structure. The roof looked a lot like some of the nicer homes they'd visited in this time, with an overhang that covered the veranda and proper shingling covering it. It was definitely nicer than a lot of the huts in the village.

She carefully walked up the few steps that led to the elevated home, and gently knocked at the doorframe, in case someone was inside. She called out, "Hello?" but no response was given.

She pushed open the shoji quietly and saw the open layout of a pretty expansive floorplan, at least compared to the huts in the village. A sudden shiver ran down her spine, one that gave her a feeling of déjà vu…like she'd been there before.

The building was new, that was for sure. There were no signs of anyone having lived here. No belongings or items to indicate domesticity were around, and the wood was all freshly sanded and sealed, with extra pieces laying around in corners of the room. It meant that someone was actively building this place. Some areas looked unfinished, but there were designations for certain things, like a kitchen space and sleeping area. It felt very… modern in a way.

She carefully stepped into the space, and couldn't ignore the nagging feeling she had that this all felt familiar, 'What is this place?' she thought.

But before she could think on it any longer, she heard a creak of wood behind her, pressure from someone's bodyweight walking up the steps. She turned, raising her bow to ready for another potential attack, but was relieved to see the familiar worried eyes that stared back at her and her name emitting from him, "Kagome?!"

"Inuyasha!" she cried joyfully as he approached her within the home.

"Kagome, what are you doing out here?" he asked as he approached, "Are you alright?"

She answered, "I'm fine. But how did you know I was out here?"

"We saw bright flashes of light from the village, and when you weren't at home, I assumed the worst and came looking for you," he explained when he came up to her and noticed that she was holding her side, "Are you hurt?"

She attempted to ease his concern, "It's nothing, really," but she knew it was already too late. She saw him sniff around her and immediately recoiled in the smell of demon.

"Were you attacked?" he scowled, "Dammit, I shouldn't have left you alone!"

She tried again, "It's fine, Inuyasha! I was just getting some target practice when a demon snuck up on me, that's all."

His brow furrowed as he looked around, ensuring that the demon was well and truly gone, "I thought we agreed that you'd only be practicing if I was with you."

"We agreed I wouldn't go on any demon hunts without you there," she countered stubbornly, "Besides, it's not like I sought out to fight a demon. I just wanted to get in some target practice. Is that so wrong?"

Inuyasha became flustered by her retort. He couldn't fault her for wanting to practice, "No... I guess not. But what if you'd gotten really hurt?"

She replied sweetly, understanding his concern, "Everything's fine, really. I think I just cracked a rib is all." As she brushed her side, she winced from the pain.

Inuyasha took note and raised her hand away, "Come on, let's get you back to Kaede's so she can take a look at you."

Kagome nodded, but as Inuyasha went to pick her up, she asked, "Wait… Inuyasha, have you ever seen this house before?"

"Huh?" was the only response he could muster.

She continued her thought, as she looked around the dwelling, "We've come out here so many times, and I've never noticed this place before. I was just wondering if you knew anything about it." Inuyasha's cheeks turned a violent shade of red. He turned his face away from her in hopes that she wouldn't acknowledge his embarrassment. When he didn't answer her, she asked, "Inuyasha?"

He curiously turned his eye back to her. He sighed when he realized she wasn't going to drop it, "I was hoping to surprise you when it was finished."

Kagome's eyes went wide, absorbing his answer, "You mean… _you're_ the one building this place?"

He nodded slowly, "Yeah… well, not alone. I've been contracting some of the villagers for their help. I've never been great at this kinda thing, and it's not even close to being finished, but…"

It was then that she realized what he'd been doing all this time, "All these times you'd go out for hours, you were coming out here to build this?"

He nodded again as she stepped away to look at the room. As she pressed her hand against the wall to feel the smoothness of the wood, he said, "I figured... you deserved to have a proper home… or at least someplace that felt as close to it as possible."

Her eyes teared as she understood what kind of energy and effort he'd put into all this. That was why it felt so familiar, why the rooms felt almost modern. He was modeling it on what he'd remembered from her home, "Inuyasha," she muttered as full-blown tears streaming down her cheeks in happiness, but she was unable to articulate it as she started to sob.

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head at hearing her cry and asked, "Kagome, what's wrong? Why're you crying?" Maybe she didn't like it? The thought crept into his mind but was quickly pushed away when she turned to look at him.

"It's beautiful…" she managed to say between her sobbing as a smile graced her lips," It feels just like I'm home."

Inuyasha's worry subsided as she voiced her appreciation, he moved to hold her as she finished openly weeping, "Wait 'til you see it finished."

Kagome tilted her chin up to look at him, wiping away the last of her tears as she asked, "Can you show me around?"

He nodded, a sense a pride suddenly filling him, "Sure."

He'd shown her the areas that he had plans for, and what he was working on to get them finished. He'd marked out two areas in the back that would eventually be a storehouse for her herbs and medicines, and the other would become a private bathhouse. It was obviously a recent add-on and was only marked with four wooden beams to indicate its boundaries, but Kagome was excited at the idea of having hot baths whenever she pleased.

He'd explained that he'd spent the rest of the day commissioning the carpenter in the village to make a version of her bedframe that she'd talked about last night, and a seamstress to attempt making the mattress. He tried to explain it as best he could to them, but Kagome was just overwhelmed by what details he'd remembered. It'd been so long since he'd even seen her bedroom, let alone the family home, and yet he had managed to put all this together just from memory. Obviously, it wasn't exactly the same, but it had enough elements of home.

As they walked around the perimeter on the veranda, Kagome felt that sudden déjà vu again when she looked out and realized she could see the Sacred Tree just a stone's throw away. She paused as she took another breath, feeling Inuyasha behind her, seeing her lookout at the tree thoughtfully. She'd seen this vantage point before.

Inuyasha came up beside her and asked, "Kagome?"

And then, she started to piece it all together, "Inuyasha, this place… this is where my home will be in the future." These were the grounds of the family home. That's why it'd felt so familiar. She was walking on the grounds that would eventually be the house she grew up in.

"It is?" he was shocked by the revelation. He hadn't intended to plan for the house to be in that exact spot. When he was picking the location, he knew he wanted to be near the Sacred Tree and the Well, and have some distance from the rest of the village. He wanted to be in the forest, especially to be near the tree, and it was close enough that they could still go to and from the village with no problem. This spot was free of any tree or shrubbery and just seemed like the perfect spot to start building.

Kagome looked around and realized that as she viewed the clearing, the perimeter of the grounds was almost hard to ignore. She could see where the shrine grounds started and ended from the tree perimeter around them. This was the inception of her family's shrine.

"I didn't think…" she started softly, a sense of wonder in her voice. Inuyasha quietly wrapped his arm around her back as she continued, "I mean, I always knew that eventually, these would become the shrine grounds one day, but… I didn't think it'd be us that would be its founders." She leaned into his shoulder, thinking about how they'd inadvertently be starting her family's legacy. She turned to look up at him, he continued to stare out though, and she could only marvel at how thoughtful he could be when he wanted to be. Without even realizing it, he'd not only managed to provide her a home, but one that would forever make her feel connected to her family in a way she'd never realized would be possible.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she sighed.

He smiled. His gaze turned down to look at her before he kissed her forehead, giving her form a reassuring squeeze. But as he did so, she let out a wince of pain again, her rib causing a sharp twinge in her side.

Inuyasha let go immediately, not wanting to hurt her further, "Come on, we should head back and get you looked at," he suggested. Kagome agreed as he tenderly lifted her off her feet and started to head back.

"Inuyasha," she said softly with her face tucked into his chest as they walked back to the village, the dark of night coming in very quickly.

"Yeah?" he replied.

She spoke quietly, but loud enough for him to hear, "You're so good to me." She felt the firmness of his arms tighten around her as she pressed her hand to his chest, continuing, "Please don't ever think you deserve less than this. You've earned every ounce of this life, so please… don't think that you weren't worth it."

She breathed in, and sighed, "You've always been worth it."

He faintly whispered her name, silently thanking her for gracing him with her very existence. He truly didn't know where he'd be if she hadn't come into his life, but what mattered as that she had. Beyond that, she chose to stay in his life, and after that day, Inuyasha never questioned her decision to stay with him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! I hope you guys enjoyed that one! I wanted to give an origin for the Higurashi Shrine in a way that felt somewhat believable, so I hope that came across well.
> 
> Please be sure to leave a review, let me know if there's anything I can improve on or any other suggestions for future chapters. I still have a few more in mind, but would definitely love to hear other possible story ideas.
> 
> Also, please, follow/favourite the story if you'd like to see more, as it's been a big motivator for me to stay on this project.
> 
> I hope you all are healthy and safe, and that we can all try to weather this situation (COVID-19) by trying to find things that bond us together instead of dividing us. It's already hard enough to deal with the separation of family, friends, and colleagues, let alone with everyone disagreeing on how to deal with this crisis, but we need to find joy in the small things right now, so I hope my fic is able to provide that for some of you.
> 
> Until Next Time…


	4. Paradise Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a very specific idea I wanted to tackle for this fic. Something that I was always interested in the series proper, and I hope you guys find this chapter interesting/satisfying as well.
> 
> *** I was in the middle of writing this chapter when I saw the news that InuYasha is getting a sequel series "Hanyo no Yashahime" that follows the daughters of Inuyasha, Kagome, and Sesshomaru! Needless to say, I am excited to see this story continue in canon, but I'm also terrified. I hope they don't ruin the older characters for the sake of these newer ones. But we shall see. I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts about the possible InuYasha sequel series.
> 
> Either way, I'll have to adjust some of the stories I had intended to tell with this series, but that's fine...***
> 
> Anyways, let's get into it.

"It's so beautiful," Kagome sighed as she looked out the window, the moonlight lightly reflecting off the snowflakes, almost making it look like glitter was falling around them. It was like the heavens dusted the earth in a white shimmer.

This was their first winter together. They'd been preparing for weeks, stockpiling food and supplies in the recently finished storage hut out back to get ahead of this first snow. She'd never experienced a winter during the Feudal Era before, and she'd hoped they'd adequately prepared for it. She laughed as she thought how long it might be before they get a chance to see Sango, Miroku, and the others again, "Guess we won't be going back to the village anytime soon."

"Keh, fine by me," Inuyasha derided as he wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist and placed his chin on her shoulder, staring out at the snowflakes that continued to drift down and dust the landscape, "I'd rather stay stuck in here for days on end, torturing you."

She giggled at his sentiment, "You would," she said sarcastically as she closed the window to keep in the heat from the fire they had going. She turned in his arms and wrapped her hands loosely behind his neck, "I doubt this weather would stop you from going anywhere."

His grin was filled with an insatiable hunger, "Yeah, but why would I go anywhere else when I can be trapped in here with you?" he joked before snatching her lips in his. Kagome let out a giggle as she felt him pull her closer and moved down her chin to her throat. This was the little spot of paradise they'd built for themselves over the last few months, and they weren't at all worried about getting to enjoying every second of this wonderful peace together. But just as he started removing her robes from off her shoulders, a violent shudder rippled through the house.

Kagome nearly shrieked as she and Inuyasha quickly pulled away from one another and looked around their home, seeing some of the furnishings rattle at the vibration, "What the…?"

"An earthquake?" Kagome asked as the vibrations started to subside.

Inuyasha moved away to grab Tessaiga by the wall and approached the main door, sliding open the shoji and searching in the darkness. Kagome stayed close behind, having secured her robes back into place before peering out the door as well, "What is it?"

"I dunno, but I don't like it," Inuyasha replied, taking in the atmosphere. It was eerily silent, but his head turned toward the left suddenly, toward the direction of the Sacred Tree, his ears straining to hear something. His eyes focused as he said, "I think there's someone out there."

"In this weather?" Kagome asked, unable to see very far into the darkness of the trees that bordered the grounds. But somewhere in the distance, she could faintly hear it too, "Someone… Help me…"

"Stay here, I'm gonna go check it out," Inuyasha said sternly as he laced Tessaiga into his waistband.

"No way, I'm coming with you," she retorted as she grabbed her bow and arrows.

"Can you ever just listen to me?" Inuyasha questioned her in a defeated tone, not surprised by her eagerness to go. She'd never been one to sit on the sidelines, so why did he bother?

"Not a chance! Especially if someone's hurt, maybe I can help," she replied, moving past him and quickly into the nearly 2-foot-deep snow. She began to trudge her way through the thick slush as she approached the trees, listening intently for the calls for help again, "Please… help…"

The voice was growing weaker, but she could definitely hear it more clearly than before. It was from just beyond the treeline. She shouted back, "We're coming! Just hang on!" before continuing her trek through the snow.

Inuyasha easily leaped ahead through the trees to scout out the area to make sure nothing was amiss and they weren't walking into some kind of trap. He hadn't smelled any demons nearby, so at least there was that. There was only one trail, one that laid covered in fresh blood and led to a body lying against a tree, nearly emerged in the snow.

"Kagome! Over here!" he called out to get her attention.

She approached quickly, though her legs were starting to feel numb from the cold. As she came upon them, she gasped, "Oh god!"

It was a man; looked to be a samurai, a young one, maybe not much older than herself. He was covered in blood, skin turning a sickly pale gray from the cold, and his weapon was missing. Kagome knelt down in front of him and asked, "Hey, are you alive?"

The man was barely able to lift his head as he looked up at her. He was clearly in a lot of pain as he replied, "Ugh, there was… a demon," before he started to cough violently.

"A demon?" Kagome repeated as she turned to Inuyasha.

He knew exactly what she was thinking, "I didn't smell any demon nearby, and there were no trails other than his. I don't even smell demon on him."

The samurai continued to cough as Kagome turned back, resting her hand on his shoulder, "Are you able to stand? We have a place nearby; you can come rest and we can take a look at your wounds."

"Kagome…" Inuyasha's tone of voice sounded like a warning, "I don't know if we should."

She had none of it and immediately replied, "We can't just leave him here to die! Come on, help me get him inside."

Something about all this sent a shiver down Inuyasha's spine, but he wasn't going to fight her on it. He stepped forward and lifted the man to carry him on his back, though the man definitely let out his fair share of cries of pain.

"Go easy on him," Kagome said as she helped to adjust him. He was wearing too much armor to see his wounds, so the sooner they got him to the house, the sooner they could assess the damage.

* * *

Kagome rose from her seat next to the man who was fast asleep beside the fire, his wounds bandaged and having taken some herbal remedies she'd prepared.

Inuyasha stood off to the side and joined her as she left to clean up.

"So, how is he?" Inuyasha asked her as she approached the kitchen area to wash her hands of the blood.

She whispered to avoid waking him accidentally, "It's bad. He's got some pretty deep wounds and a really high fever. I gave him something to help with the pain and fever. But honestly, he probably should have died of blood loss by now, so I'm kind of surprised he's still alive."

Inuyasha looked back over to the sleeping stranger and voiced the thoughts his instincts were shouting at him since they found him in the forest, "I don't like this."

"Don't like what?" Kagome asked, drying her hands before turning back to look at him.

"Something about all this feels wrong," Inuyasha continued, "What caused that shutter before? There's no way that was him."

Kagome turned to look at the man as she tried to theorize, "Well, maybe it was the demon he was talking about, the one who attacked him."

"That's just it," Inuyasha disputed quickly, "He said there was a demon, but I didn't see or smell anything that gives me the impression that's what happened. All I can smell is his blood and death. He smells like a walking corpse."

"So… what? You think he's lying?" Kagome pressed, trying to understand Inuyasha's mindset.

"I dunno, but it just doesn't feel right. The sooner his wounds heal and he gets outta here, the better," Inuyasha concluded as he gripped Tessaiga at his waist.

"I doubt he'll be up for a while. Even you would have a hard time recovering from injuries like his," Kagome explained, remembering how deep the wounds were and feeling a strong sense of empathy for the man, "I'd be surprised if he isn't permanently affected by them."

Inuyasha's brow furrowed as his focus remained completely encircled on the stranger, giving her no indication he'd even heard what she'd said.

Kagome, frustrated by his lack of attention, turned his cheek to face her as she said, "Look… He's seriously wounded, and very ill. If he dies, the least we can do make him comfortable. I don't think he's a threat to anyone at this point, so let's just do what we can to give him what he needs for now."

She let go of his cheek as she finished her statement and walked past him, towards their sleeping area and drawing the privacy screen over so she could get out of her sopping wet robes.

Inuyasha returned to look over at the man's form, ever weary. Kagome was right, there was no way an injured human in his condition was a threat to them. So why did he feel like something about this was wrong? Was he just imagining things? Maybe he was just being overprotective again? Things had been quiet for the last few months, and this was the first time that Inuyasha had felt like there was a real threat to his home. But perhaps he was just being ardent.

* * *

The man would remain relatively unconscious for most of the next few days. The snowstorm hadn't let up, so they hadn't left the home. Instead, they kept vigil over the wounded samurai until he was well enough to move.

Inuyasha had barely slept, unable to shake the rattle in his gut that kept him on edge. Kagome would try to encourage him to come to bed, but he wasn't willing to let his guard down. She'd sleep soundly in their bed, and he'd sit at her bedside with his back resting against the frame like he'd done so many years ago in her time. He refused to let his guard down as long as this stranger was in their home.

Around the third day, Kagome stood from the man's side after she finished treating him for the moment, leaving him to rest. Inuyasha leaned against the wall and watched him carefully. She moved to leave the home to empty out some soiled water they'd been using and grab some freshwater, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed that the man's head slowly tilted towards Kagome's direction as she exited the home. Inuyasha, noticing the man's gaze, moved quietly in front of him to block his view of Kagome's retreating form.

Inuyasha towered over him, waiting until his head turned to look up at him. His hand gripped Tessaiga at his waist, popping the hilt of the sword from its sheath, as he growled his threat so as to prevent Kagome from hearing him, "If you even think to look at her with a wandering eye, I _will_ end your sad excuse for a life here and now. Got it?"

The man's eyes went wide with fear and pain, passing out shortly after. Inuyasha secured Tessaiga, turning away from the unconscious samurai, and approached the door to watch for Kagome as she returned with the freshwater. As she came back, her robes are once again dampened by the even deeper snow outside the house.

She handed Inuyasha the pail of water as she approached him, "Here, can you take this? I'm absolutely freezing and I need to change." Inuyasha nodded, as he easily took the heavy bucket and let her move towards their sleeping area once more to change out of her robes.

As he settled the bucket down to the side, Inuyasha looked back at the samurai, nervous that his wife may not be covering herself adequately from his view. He seemed unconscious, but like hell Inuyasha was going to let just anyone potentially see Kagome that way.

He approached the privacy screen quietly to adjust it, though she immediately covered herself at the movement before realizing it was Inuyasha. She seethed quietly, "Geez, don't scare me like that!"

He returned in kind, "Well sooorry! I was just making sure no perverts can get a look at you!"

As she slipped her plain white sleeping yukata on, she retorted with a sarcastic reply, "Too late, I can already see one leering." She gave him a sideways glance, indicating it was him she was talking about as he turned beet red at the accusation.

"Trust me, if I wanted a look, I have plenty of other opportunities to do so! I don't need to steal them," he retorted. His hand fidgeted on the screen as Kagome reached out to brush her fingers over his in an attempt to soothe him.

"It's fine, Inuyasha. Everything's fine, no one can see me," Kagome said reassuringly, "You've been so nervous for the last few days. I don't think I've ever seen you like this."

He turned his gaze to look over his shoulder, "I don't like this, Kagome."

She blinked up at him as he refused to meet her gaze, following his eyes back towards the sleeping samurai, "You mean… having him here?"

Inuyasha didn't reply, only turning back to look at her, his brow in a wrinkle with worry. Kagome's eyes softened as she reached up to his cheek brushing her thumb over his worried features before pulling him down for a soft but firm kiss. She released him and pressed her forehead to his as she whispered in her perfectly calming voice, "He reminds you of someone, doesn't he? Of Onigumo…"

Inuyasha reached out for her and held her close, wrapping his arm around her waist and hand on the back of her head, "Please don't… I don't want to think about him… ever again."

Kagome nodded against his chest, agreeing silently to his request. She could feel the exhaustion and unease through his voice. It'd probably been years since he'd even thought of Naraku. But there was a definite familiarity within this samurai that had left them both wondering the same thing.

"I promise, I won't let anything happen," Kagome breathed out against his neck, feeling him hold her somehow even closer.

* * *

On the fifth day, as dusk was setting in, Inuyasha moved to leave, "I'm gonna go check the area. I won't be long."

"Alright," Kagome nodded towards him as she helped the samurai sit up. He was finally well enough to sit up and eat some food that wasn't broth, though he even struggled with that. His fever had yet to break so he was back to lying down not long after, still dizzy and weak.

She replaced his bandages and thought to herself, 'It's so bizarre, the wounds don't seem to be healing at all.'

"I thank you for your kindness, milady," the man said softly as Kagome helped to lay his head back on the padding. It was the first time she'd heard him speak since they'd first found him, and his voice was hoarse from lack of use.

She smiled down at him kindly and replied sweetly, "There's no need to thank us. I'm glad to see you're able to talk again."

He shook his head lightly as he tried to speak, "Your name… it is Kagome, is it not? I've heard… your companion call you as such."

"It is, "she nodded.

He smiled with a large amount of effort as he groaned, "It is a very fitting name for one as beautiful as yourself."

She blushed fervently at the compliment, waving it away, "Oh, that's very nice of you to say, but it's just a normal name."

He asked further, "You are… a priestess as well? You wear the garb of one."

She nodded, "Mhm, I'm still an apprentice though. I would go to the priestess in our village to ask if she could help with your wounds, but we're still snowed in by the storm, and you're in no condition to be moved right now."

He sighed, "Your heart is kind and gentle… to help a stranger such as myself."

"I mean, what else should we have done? Leave you to die in the snow?" she asked rhetorically, smiling down at him, "If there's any way we can help, then we're obligated to."

There was a pause as the man just continued to look up at her wistfully. Kagome decided that she needed to break the quiet, "So, what's your name?"

"My name… is Musou," he groaned in pain, "I am a ronin… from the southern lands."

"That's quite a journey you've made then, "Kagome stated, "What're you doing all the way up here in Musashi?"

The man wheezed as he struggled to regain his breath. Kagome helped to adjust his blankets and reached to feel his forehead again, "Your fever is persistent. I'll make some more medicine for you to help with it."

As she meant to stand, the man had reached his hand out and asked her, "Wait…"

Kagome paused, sitting back down and listening to him, "Yes?"

The man pressed on, trying to ignore the weakness in his chest as he stammered, "Your companion… he is the half-demon known as Inuyasha, am I right?"

Kagome's hair stood on end at the question. She didn't affirm his claim, instead wondering what his point was. She asked him in a cooler tone than she had previously used, "Why do you ask?"

Musou chuckled lightly saying between wheezing breaths, "I'd heard… there was a priestess in this village… one of great beauty, who'd taken a half-demon as her husband. A priestess… whose spiritual powers were not defiled… or weakened by the union."

Kagome arched her eyebrow, skeptical of his assertions, "I take it we have a reputation then?"

"Of course," the man choked out, "I… came here to seek out the priestess… who was unsullied by any demonic power."

Intrigued by his confession, she pressed him, "And why, exactly, are you looking for me?"

The man replied with a struggle, though he attempted to answer with a confident voice, "I… had come to save you."

"Save me?" Kagome repeated, almost disgusted by the implication he was making, "What makes you think that I need saving?"

Musou coughed violently for a moment before he regained his breath, "Clearly… for as such a powerful priestess as you may be… to stay at the side of a half-demon… it must have been a formidable bewitching placed upon you."

Kagome shifted uncomfortably, though she asserted herself, "I'm not sure what you've heard about me, or about my husband, but I don't appreciate the insinuation you're making."

"You must see… How can you be so blinded?" he whimpered in a desperate, but failed, attempt to convince her.

Kagome stood abruptly, unable to listen to him babble on any more nonsense. She spat back with venom in her voice, "I can assure you I am _not_ bewitched, and I won't have you talking about him that way in _our_ home."

"Lady Kagome… please… do not let yourself be deceived by what he is," Musou strained to continue, reaching for her sleeve. Kagome cut him off abruptly, shooting him a look that commanded his silence, and yanking her arm quickly away.

"I know what he is… More importantly, I love him for _who_ he is," she paused for a moment to stare down at the maimed man who'd been stunned by her ferocity, "Don't mistake my kindness as weakness, Musou. I _will_ have you removed from here if you dare to disrespect him again, I don't care how injured or sick you are. You _do not_ get to come in here and talk about him as if he were… As if he were nothing," she didn't notice the figure that stood behind her as she continued her rant, "He is worth more to me than anyone I've ever known, and I won't be made to believe otherwise."

Musou didn't reply, his eyes fixed fearfully on the figure that stood in the doorway behind her. Kagome turned to follow his gaze. It seemed that he was all bark and no bite.

"Kagome…" seeing Inuyasha at the door, a dangerous look on his face, but controlled as well. He asked in a knowing tone, "Is everything alright here?"

With a scornful look on her face, she looked back at the man pitifully, "We're fine. Right, Musou?"

Inuyasha looked at the ronin, whose eyes were wide with shock. He growled threateningly at him.

Musou's face weakened and he became discontent before he replied, "Yes… just fine."

The rest of the evening was spent in relative silence between the three occupants, tension thick in the air.

As they retired for the night, the wind blew even harder outside, creating a white noise that became hard to discern any sounds outside his immediate vicinity. The ever-present snowstorm had turned into a blizzard, and Inuyasha was so very tired.

As much as Inuyasha liked to boast that he didn't need as much rest as normal humans did, he did still need to sleep eventually. It had been five days with no restful nights, and he couldn't help but start to nod off as he sat at his usual perch beside their bed leaning against Tessaiga.

He tried his best to fight against it, unwilling to leave Kagome unprotected, especially after the conversation he'd walked into earlier in the evening, 'What did that bastard say to her to give her that look in her eye?' he thought. He'd only ever seen that look reserved for their most fierce enemies…

A faint touch on his shoulder caused him to jump slightly as he turned to see Kagome reaching out to him, whispering quietly, "Inuyasha… Please, come to bed and get some sleep."

"Kagome…" he started, but she stopped him, placing her fingertips over his lips.

"Trust me. It'll be alright, just come get some rest, okay?" she pleaded with him, a look in her eye that shone with worry for him.

He sighed as he slowly closed his eyes and lowered his head in thought, considering the proposition, "Alright," he finally agreed as he stood from the floor. She made room in the bed as he joined her, though he kept Tessaiga at his side, not willing to be without it. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her protectively, the feel of her arm covering his, comforting him. Her beautiful scent washed over his senses as he buried his face into her hair, sending him right off to a blissful sleep he hadn't had in what felt like an eternity.

* * *

The days passed without much more upheaval from Musou, who seemed to be quite passive as the days progressed. Kagome did the minimum amount of interaction with him in order to reduce his fever and heal his wounds. Eventually, his fever broke, and Kagome felt there was not much she could do for his injuries, as they remained stubborn to heal properly.

Once he knew Inuyasha left the home for the moment and was out of earshot, Musou spoke in a low voice, "You refuse to look at me. And you haven't spoken to me since the other day. Have I so deeply offended you?"

Kagome regarded him coldly, "I just want you to heal so that you can be on your way."

Musou chuckled, "I guess I deserve that."

Kagome didn't offer him any consolation, continuing to work on his bandages. He didn't deserve anything beyond being treated with basic decency. Something about how he spoke about her and Inuyasha the other day got under her skin, and she'd been unable to shake the feeling. She'd endure this until the weather died down, and he was able to travel to the next village to take up shelter there.

He asked, "When do you think my wounds will be well enough for me to travel again?"

Kagome continued to ignore his begging looks, and instead, finished the fresh bandaging, "I've done everything I can for you. The wounds just aren't co-operative, and the damage is extensive. I imagine you'll be dealing with these injuries for the rest of your life."

Musou looked solemnly at the wounds as he spoke, "I guess it would be too much to ask if I could stay here a while longer?"

Kagome's hand stilled, her tone a warning, "Musou…"

He quickly tried to dismiss it, "I don't mean to impose. However, if I were to leave, I'd surely perish; either by my wounds, the cold, or the demons."

She finished the bandage and quickly retreated to put away her supplies in the hopes of getting distance between them, "Honestly, I've done what I can, short of putting you up for the rest of your life, and that sure as hell won't be happening. The rest is up to you now."

Her voice was devoid of emotion. She gave no sense of malice, but she was clearly laying down her boundaries with him. She wouldn't tolerate someone in her home who didn't respect Inuyasha. She may have had an open heart, but she had her limits, and Musou was walking right up to the edge of her tolerance, "I don't have to like you. I don't even have to be kind to you. We've opened our home to you, fed you, and taken care of you. We've done our fair share."

Musou remained quiet at the accusation, unable to defend himself.

Kagome finished, turning to look at him and said in a quiet but imposing voice, "Once the weather dies down, you _will_ leave."

Musou taunted in a spiteful voice, "You think so little of me that you would leave me to die? Perhaps… you are not the kind-hearted priestess I was made to believe. Maybe your heart truly has been corrupted by that demon after a..."

The echo of her slapping him across the face stunned him before he'd even realized what had happened.

The air was silent and thick with tension. Kagome punctuated each word with a spite that she couldn't hold back anymore as she ground out, "Get out of my house."

Kagome immediately turned away from him to retrieve her bow and arrows, but before she could grab them, her ankle was pulled out from under her, causing her to fall forward, mere feet from her bow.

Musou gruffly shouted as he yanked her back towards him by her ankle, "I have tried to be patient with you, milady, but if you won't co-operate, then I'll just have to utilize a more forceful approach."

Kagome glared up at him as she almost growled, "Get your hands off of me!" before delivering a swift kick to his chest. Musou fell back from her strike, wincing in severe pain from his injuries. Kagome quickly turned and reached for her bow and arrows again, nocking them smoothly and aiming directly for his chest, "Get out!"

He paused for a moment, never breaking his eye contact with her as he slowly moved to put on his armor and shuffled his way to the door, towards the depth of the cold, snowy winter outside. Musou turned to look at her slowly, giving her a stare that promised something awful, "You'll regret this day… you wench…"

She didn't rise to his taunt. As he disappeared out the door, she could only see the darkness that covered the landscape beyond.

Kagome lowered her bow as she approached the door, watching him as he left, the anger that had seethed in her surging. She'd never felt so angry in her life. She collapsed to her knees, almost winded from the sheer rage she felt.

'How dare he!' she thought to herself.

"Kagome?!" she heard Inuyasha call out to her as he rounded the side of the house, seeing her on her knees just within the door frame. He came down to her side and asked, "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine… I'm just…" she struggled to explain. She was practically vibrating, the anger not yet subsiding.

Inuyasha followed her gaze to the path that led away from the house and into the forest, confusion crossing his mind. He turned to look back inside the home, noticing that the bedding that the ronin had laid in for the last week or so was empty, "He's gone?"

She couldn't reply, instead slowly rising to her feet. Inuyasha helped her stand, placing a hand under her elbow to give her some balance, though he could feel her body shaking under his touch. She turned promptly and returned to the house, putting her bow and arrows away. Inuyasha followed her tentatively, closing the shoji behind him, his eyes never leaving her form as she moved about. He'd never seen her like this, "Kagome?"

"Everything's fine, Inuyasha," she spoke with an assertiveness, but there was a hitch in her voice.

"I can tell when you're lying, Kagome. You don't hide it well," his voice remained soft as he spoke.

She stilled as her grip on the wood that she had intended to add it to the fire turned white. There was a sharp inhale as her jaw tensed as she struggled to cope with the emotions she had felt. She felt Inuyasha approach her on her left side and slowly take the block of firewood from her hands. He took her shoulder with his hand, urging her to look at him, "What happened?"

Kagome couldn't meet his eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on the fire pit. When she spoke, he could hear the tears coming up in her voice, "I hate feeling this way."

Inuyasha stared at her, confused, "Hate feeling what way?"

"Like this… This anger…"

Inuyasha was shocked by her answer, though he didn't speak, waiting for her to elaborate.

"I've never felt so angry in my life. How can people stand it?" the tears started to flow freely down her cheeks.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha tried to stir her, but she turned into his embrace before he'd even realized it, pressing her face into his suikan as she cried uncontrollably into the fabric. Inuyasha just tried his best to comfort her, wrapping his arms around her shaking shoulders and leaning his head against hers, whispering soothing encouragements to her.

After a few moments of her crying, she eventually exhausted herself. She spoke softly, "Inuyasha… can we just go to bed?"

He nodded, "Whatever you want," before gently taking her into his arms and bringing her to their sleeping area. As they quietly got ready for bed, Inuyasha would peer over at her every so often. He'd never felt so helpless. Something was going on with her, and he had no idea what he could do for her to make this better. Whatever happened, the ronin must've done something to get Kagome this upset… upset enough kick out the injured ronin into the cold winter. He resisted every urge in his being to chase after the man and wring his neck for answers. He wanted to, but he wouldn't… he wouldn't leave her side when she was like this, even if it would've made him feel better.

Inuyasha resolved to talk with her more about this tomorrow. Maybe her anger would have subsided by then and she would be able to tell him what happened. For now, he would give her what she wanted, which was a quiet night's sleep.

Kagome called to him as he stared into space, lost in his thoughts. His gaze snapped into focus when he heard her say his name, "Sorry, what?"

She repeated, "I said come to bed."

"I will. Just give me a minute," Kagome nodded as she turned over to blow out the lantern and get comfortable.

Inuyasha moved back over to the main door and with a quick move, he unsheathed Tessaiga and thrust the blade into the path of the shoji, effectively creating a ward on the door and preventing anyone from being able to enter without it creating a massive racket. He wasn't going to take any chances.

When he returned to their sleeping area, he saw the slow rise and fall of Kagome's shoulders, indicating she was already asleep. He stood there for a moment, staring at her form. He almost didn't want to disturb her. He quietly joined her, sliding in beside her like he'd done so any times before. In the back of his mind, he really hoped that things would go back to normal after tonight.

* * *

_She was stuck… a pit of darkness and anger… it swallowed her and she was unable to escape its depths._

" _You can't see what he is… what he's done to you…"_

_Kagome could hear the voice faintly in her mind, taunting her. She tried to block it out but she only asked back weakly, "What are you talking about?"_

" _This seething hatred, this anger you feel; it is most unbecoming, especially for one as powerful as yourself," the voice continued to sneer, "Where do this think that anger comes from but the influence of your half-demon companion?"_

" _You're wrong! Inuyasha doesn't make me feel this way!" Kagome countered strongly, though feeling herself sink deeper into the darkness, "He would never inspire such hatred!"_

" _Oh really?" it gibed, "Would you not have turned away a helpless and injured ronin, even if they were misguided? That doesn't speak to the purity of heart needed of a priestess…"_

_Kagome shuttered, her spine sending a shockwave throughout her body, "You're wrong… I'm human. I have emotions and feelings. And I won't stand for someone who shows open contempt for someone I love! I'm not a damsel in distress that needs to be saved from some monster by a wannabe knight in shining armor! And I don't need to be patronized by someone who doesn't know Inuyasha the way I do!"_

" _But a priestess must be above those feelings. You are nothing more than an imitation! A charlatan!"_

" _No!" Kagome cried, reaching up desperately towards the light above, "I am not a fake!"_

" _Then prove it! Prove you are capable of shutting off those emotions!"_

" _I won't!" she shouted in defiance, "I won't discard part of myself when it's those feelings that make me stronger!"_

" _If so, then name it! Name your hatred! Name your anger! Use that strength!"_

_Kagome winced, succumbing to the darkness as she dug down, reaching for the strength of her emotions, "I hate… I hate anyone who would disrespect Inuyasha… just because of what he is."_

* * *

Inuyasha awoke at some point in the night. He could feel Kagome shift under him, though he was quick to ignore the movement initially. As he tried to drift back off, he felt Kagome move again. He whispered, unsure if she was even awake, "You okay?"

"I can't sleep…" she replied, her voice sounding groggy and hoarse.

At hearing her reply, he sighed and tightened his grip around her waist, "Is there anything I can get you?"

"Can I have some water?" Kagome asked shyly.

"Sure thing," he replied sweetly as he kissed her through her hair before getting up to go to retrieve the water she'd asked for. As he was scooping the water into its cup, he heard Kagome move in the bed, footsteps following shortly after.

"Inu… yasha…" he heard her say quietly. He'd expected her to be standing behind him, possibly wanting to talk. But when he heard the nocking of her bow…

He could hear the air of the arrow passing by his ear before he'd even fully reacted. The arrow lodged itself in the wall just beyond his shoulder, and Inuyasha was left dumbfounded at the defensive stance Kagome had taken many times before. The bow's string vibrated, having just let loose her arrow. She seemed ambivalent towards the offensive act, her eyes clouded over, almost unaware of her surroundings. Inuyasha smirked as he stared back at her, looking her up and down carefully.

"I knew something was off," he scoffed in defiance, "You'll have to do better than that though. Kagome's not gonna allow herself to be manipulated so easily. If she really wanted to hit me, she wouldn't have missed."

The ease with which she drew another arrow stunned him for a moment, though he was quick to move. The cup that he'd used to retrieve the water was a forgotten memory as he rushed her and grabbed the bow, wrenching it from her grasp and throwing it across the space with minimal effort. Inuyasha moved swiftly, his grasp enclosing on her bow arm and turning her in his grasp. Reaching for the other arm that had the arrow with his free hand and twisted around her frame, he managed to pin her in place with her arms crossed over her chest as he placed himself firmly behind her. He was careful to not hurt her, but he had to be sure she couldn't do anything while she was possessed. She resisted against his grip, but he was more than capable of holding her in place.

"Let her go now, or I swear, you'll wish you were dead!" Inuyasha growled in anger.

He was perturbed to hear a voice other than her gentle whisper come from her being, "Hahaha! Foolish half-breed!"

"Who are you? What do you want?" Inuyasha questioned.

The voice replied with a sarcastic laugh, "Me?! I am merely one of many demons who wish to possess the body of a human with spiritual powers who remains unsullied by a demonic aura!"

Inuyasha winced at the response, "One of many?"

"Of course! Did you honestly think one with such influence wouldn't be tempted to demons who wished for infinite power?!"

Inuyasha ridiculed, "Oh you picked the wrong day to piss me off!"

Kagome's voice was now completely obfuscated, only a deep and throaty demonic sound emanated, "Go ahead! Just try to slay me! But know that you will never be rid of me if you wish to preserve the life of this mortal girl!"

Inuyasha growled at the threat, "If you do anything to hurt her…"

"Hahahaha! I will not hurt her, but she is a troublesome wench! It took far too long to breed the anger and hatred in her heart and weaken her defenses against me. Her powers were far more than I could have ever imagined!"

Inuyasha snarled, "So it's your fault that she's been acting this way?"

"Her power was too great to have been possessed like any ordinary mortal. She needed to have something to hate, someone to despise, in order to give me the chance to gain control and corrupt her. But her hate is very much her own," the demonic presence explained proudly, having just made its conquest at last.

Inuyasha thought for a moment about what the demon was implying, "You mean… the ronin?"

It scoffed, "He was a dead man long before I came upon him. It was incredibly convenient to find a vessel of a man whose soul was already so fixated on the pursuit of a prize; a woman who'd been bewitched by a half-demon lover. He wanted to be the _brave hero_ who would save the damsel, but he was too weak to even withstand a simple attack by bandits. How pathetic for a former samurai to have been slaughtered so easily."

Inuyasha didn't respond, only growling at the seemingly intrinsic evil of the demon.

The presence continued, "The rumors of your union have been widespread, and neither I, nor that wretched dead man are the end of your worries. There are many more of us than you could possibly imagine!"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha demanded, not wanting to hear anymore.

In an instant, Inuyasha was flung back against the far wall of their home before falling to a crumpled heap on the floor. The demon had managed to fully tap into Kagome's spiritual powers and began to emit a powerful purification barrier around her form as she turned back to face the half-demon, "This power…! This is truly unabashed power, and it is magnificent!"

Inuyasha weakly pushed himself off the floor as he looked up at the demon through his fringe, his anger seething, "Release her now!"

"Or you'll do what, half-breed?!" the demon spat back, "You'll kill me?! Do so, and you lose your mate in the process!"

Inuyasha snarled, his jaw locking as he bared his fangs. He felt so helpless. What could he do? He couldn't attack the demon without hurting Kagome, and he couldn't overpower her because she'd purify him if he got even remotely close.

"Kagome…" he thought out loud, "If you can hear me, I know you can over power him! Don't let your anger consume you!"

She smirked as she retrieved her bow and arrows effortlessly, "She is beyond your reach, you wretch! As long as she holds that anger, she will always be under my control!" The arrow drew back carefully and swiftly, aimed right for Inuyasha.

'Kagome, please… I know you can beat this…' Inuyasha thought to himself.

As the arrow was released, Inuyasha rolled quickly out of the way and towards Tessaiga, yanking it from the door frame and transforming quickly in his grasp. She drew another arrow and shouted, "Just try it!"

* * *

_She was unconscious…_

_Why did everything feel so distant?_

_She felt so helpless…_

_But in the far reaches, she could hear something… she could hear her name…_

" _Kagome!"_

_She couldn't quite place the foggy but familiar voice, only questioning, "Inu… yasha…?"_

_The voice spoke again, "If you can hear me, I know you can over power him! Don't let your anger consume you!"_

" _My anger…?"_

_The voice from before spoke, sending a chill down her spine again, "As long as she holds that anger, she will always be under my control!"_

" _No…" she whispered, "I won't…"_

_She started to feel her muscles again. She could feel her body again, like someone who was numb and regaining feeling in their limbs. She could feel the bow in her hand, she could start to see through her eyes once more, as she saw the reflection of amber staring back at her._

" _I won't… be manipulated…"_

* * *

As Inuyasha raised Tessaiga to block the arrow, the demon attempted to release it, but the grip wouldn't lessen.

"Wha-What?!" the demon cried, struggling to hold power over her body.

'Let… me… go!' came Kagome's voice within her mind, demanding control again, 'I won't... be manipulated… into hurting him!'

Inuyasha looked at them carefully, he could see the struggle occurring within them.

"You damn wench! Submit!" the demon demanded internally, eventually releasing the arrow, but it flew way off of its target.

Inuyasha lowered Tessaiga, realizing that Kagome was fighting for control again, "Kagome!"

He was genuinely surprised when he heard her sweet voice once again, though it strained with great effort, "Inu… yasha!"

She was still in there. This wasn't over yet, "Kagome! Fight him!"

Her body was moving to retrieve another arrow, but it wasn't doing so co-operatively. He heard her shout, loud and clear, "Tessaiga! Give me… Tessaiga!"

"Tessaiga?" he asked, looking at the sword. As the thought dawned on him, he realized, 'Right! Only humans can even hold the Tessaiga. Any other demon will be repelled by it!'

Inuyasha quickly transformed the Tessaiga back to its old and rusted form and approached Kagome cautiously, "Take it!"

He threw the blade towards her, her barrier allowing it to pass seamlessly through. She dropped her bow and grabbed the hilt of the sword in one smooth action. There was an unearthly wail that emitted from her form as her face distorted in great pain; the ground shook from a tremor caused by the contact, and a brilliant light flashed as she took hold. The demon was immediately being thwarted by Tessaiga's barrier, though Kagome was able to hold onto it tightly, "This cannot be!"

As the demon's grasp over Kagome weakened, the purification barrier lowered and the demon was slowly emerging, a physical manifestation of a parasite demon pulled away from Kagome's back as it tried desperately to retreat.

Inuyasha used the opportunity as he roared, "You're not getting away so easily!"

He leapt at the now very real demon and with his claws, eviscerated it with one strike.

"You wretches!" the demon's scream echoed as it vanished into the air.

Inuyasha landed and turned back quickly. Kagome was there, collapsed on the floor of their home with Tessaiga tight in her fist. Inuyasha rushed over and took her by the shoulders, calling out her name. He cradled her carefully in his arms, trying desperately to get her to stir, "Come on, Kagome, answer me!"

He could hear the weak groan in her throat as she tried to open her eyes, "Inu…. yasha…"

"Kagome," he leaned her against his chest as he raised his hand to her cheek, brushing her hair from her face. His brows knotted with concern as he asked, "Are you alright?"

She was weak, but she was eventually able to look up at him, "I think so…"

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "Don't do that to me again."

Kagome gave a sad laugh as she replied sarcastically, a smile gracing her lips, "Like I enjoy this."

Inuyasha hugged her close to his chest, calmed by knowing she was back to her normal self. The pair stayed that way for a while before Kagome felt ready to stand. As Inuyasha helped her up, she faltered when she realized everything that had been going on over the last week, "The demon… it was manipulating Musou in order to get close."

"Yeah," Inuyasha nodded, "And I guess it used him to incite anger and hatred in your heart, so you'd be more susceptible to its possession. What exactly did he do that pissed you off so much?"

Kagome turned and looked back to the door in realization, "Musou…"

Inuyasha followed her gaze, "What is it?"

Kagome turned back to him and pleaded, "Inuyasha, will you take me to find Musou?"

Inuyasha was taken aback by the request, "Like hell I will! You're still weak, and that bastard can rot in hell for all I care for causing us all this trouble!"

"Please!" she asked, "We don't have much time!"

Inuyasha looked at her incredulously, wondering what she'd meant by that. But she was clearly going to be insistent, "Keh, fine, but get dressed in something warm first."

Kagome quickly got her robes on and used a fur as a blanket as Inuyasha took her on his back and they leaped out into the frigid night air. They tracked the barely-there footprints left in the snow from hours prior, but luckily they didn't have to go far to find the body of Musou collapsed in the middle of a clearing.

"Over there!" Kagome shouted, spotting the body up ahead, a thin layer of snow covering his armor. As they approached, Inuyasha let Kagome down.

"He must be dead," Inuyasha said quietly.

Kagome shook her head, "He's not. His soul is still there," she explained as she approached the body, kneeling beside him and turning him over to face up towards the sky. His skin was grey and sickly, and his breathing was slow, but he was still breathing.

Inuyasha stayed back, folding his arms into the sleeves of his suikan, giving them room, and watching the interaction from a comfortable distance.

"Musou…?" Kagome asked, gently patting his chest to wake him up, hoping he wasn't too far gone, "Musou, please answer me…"

The ronin eventually stirred, his eyes prying open from the cold having iced them shut. His vision was blurry as he looked around for the voice that had called out to him, "Lady Kagome…?"

Kagome replied, "Yes, it's me."

Musou softly chuckled as his eyes started to focus on her face, "I… didn't think I'd ever see your face again, milady."

Kagome looked upon him with sympathy and remorse as she spoke, "Musou, I'm so sorry I turned you away in anger. I shouldn't have been so quick to…"

"No…" Musou interjected, "You were right to turn me away… I hate myself for having caused you such pain and anger."

Kagome touched her hand to his cheek. There wasn't anything more she could do for him. He was certainly going to die, "I'm so sorry, Musou."

"Lady Kagome…" Musou struggled to reply, "I was an arrogant man, and I lived a pathetic excuse for a life. There are many things…. I wish I could have done and said differently. But at least… I can make amends now before I die."

"Amends?" she asked. Inuyasha's ears perked as he listened to their conversation, attentive to everything this bastard had to say.

"I came here to Musashi… in search for what I had thought was a beautiful woman trapped by a monster who'd bewitched her. It is true… that your union has spread over the lands, and is now legendary across the daimyos and their men. When I'd heard of such a thing… I believed there was no possible way a woman could possibly be involved in such a union willingly, especially not a priestess with your power… I thought that it must have been some kind of trick."

Kagome's eyes watered as she listened to him, "You didn't believe that a human could ever be in love with a half-demon honestly."

"I had never even considered it an option. I relinquished my title as a samurai and became a ronin… as my daimyo was unwilling to give aid to such a venture. I made it my sole mission… to seek out this maiden, and free her from her disgrace of a husband," Musou explained.

Inuyasha's jaw set as he listened quietly, a wave of faded but very familiar, anger towards humans coming back to him. He'd been living with humans for so long in this region and had worked to protect them from other demons for years, that he'd forgotten that beyond these lands, there were still many who saw his very existence as an abomination. He'd forgotten what being feared had felt like; how lonely and isolating it was.

Since Kagome came into his life, he was finally allowed true acceptance. Even during the three years that she was on the other side of the Well, her presence was still felt, even if she wasn't there physically. If it weren't for her, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kaede, the villagers, none of them would have accepted him, allowed him the kindness that Kagome's heart had opened up to him. He would have continued a lonely existence, and he never wanted to feel that way again.

Musou was only making it clear how a large part of the world still viewed him and his relationship with Kagome as "unnatural". They'd been living in a wonderful paradise of peaceful bliss for the last few months that he'd forgotten just how cruel the world can be.

"However… before I could reach the village, I was attacked by a group of bandits. They overpowered me, robbed me… and then slaughtered me with my own weapon," Musou coughed and Kagome gently took his hand in hers to comfort him.

"So it wasn't the demon that killed you?" she asked.

Musou shook his head weakly, "No… the parasite merely possessed me once I was already on the verge of death. It sustained me, and forced my body to move onwards with my mission."

"That's why your wounds wouldn't heal. Your body was already dead," Kagome realized.

"Yes… but…" Musou started, but faltered as he looked back to Inuyasha, "Once I had arrived, I did not anticipate to have been cared for as warmly as I was… nor did I expect to see a half-demon who was so apparent in his protectiveness of you. I remember so clearly… when you first came upon me… how it was his instincts that warned you of my presence when I could not… yet, you took me in, regardless of his warning. Clearly… it was not you, Lady Kagome, who was bewitched… but it was the half-demon, Inuyasha, who'd been overcome with your love and compassion."

Inuyasha was shocked by the declaration the ronin made, his brows raising in disbelief as he turned and he and Musou made eye contact, an understanding passing between the two men. Musou… respected him?

"Please… forgive me, Inuyasha…" Musou pleaded, "I see now that you only did what you felt was necessary to protect your wife. You are honorable, and a far greater man than I."

Inuyasha's face reflected bewilderment; he almost couldn't comprehend what he was hearing.

Musou pressed on, though his voice grew fainter, "I saw your kind nature, the both of you, first hand over the last several days… and I know now how misguided I was to have assumed such a terrible thing was taking place within your home. I had no right to inflict my views on your lives, and I'm sorry that I ever disrupted your peace… and tainted your home with my fear and hatred."

Kagome squeezed his hand as she shed tears for him, "Musou…"

"Lady Kagome…" Musou continued, feeling there was not much time left, "Please… If I may ask… do not think poorly of me for the things that were said and done to you and your husband in your home... I was not in control of my senses, and I regret having ever brought such contempt into your gentle heart."

Kagome smiled as her tears flowed freely, "Of course. I have no doubt that under different circumstances, you would have been a wonderful friend."

Musou smiled as she spoke, "Then I can die, knowing that I have not lived such a miserable life… For I have known your kindness, and that is enough."

Inuyasha approached quietly, the snow crunching under his feet as he kneeled beside Kagome, the two of them looking upon Musou with sympathy and pity.

With a final breath, Musou said, "Thank you… for sharing with me your generosity. I only hope your love spreads and purifies the fear in men's hearts… as it did mine."

Kagome whispered his name as his hand went limp with hers, falling back into the snow. He died with a smile upon his face, and his soul was finally released from the torture his body had endured.

They looked on as his soul ascended to the heavens before disappearing from their view. Just as it disappeared beyond the clouds, the snow that had been falling for the last several days slowed to stop, and the clouds eventually parted, revealing the full moon behind them and lighting up the clearing, the white snow reflecting the vibrancy of its grace. Kagome turned into Inuyasha's shoulder as she cried for the poor man, and Inuyasha held her shoulder as he continued to look up to the sky, having been stunned by the man's final goodbye.

After a few moments, Kagome was able to compose herself. Inuyasha pulled the fur tighter around her shoulders as she shivered from the cold. He said calmly in her ear, "We should head back."

Kagome hesitated for a moment but nodded against his neck. As he stood with Kagome in his arms, she stopped him, "Wait… his body…"

Inuyasha turned back and said, "I'll bury him. Don't worry."

She nodded somberly as he made his way back to their home to return Kagome before he went to retrieve Musou's body.

Once he'd buried him, Inuyasha returned to find Kagome was already asleep next to the fire she'd restarted, still dressed in her robes and with the fur placed haphazardly over her lower half. 'She must've been exhausted. She was already so weak after the possession by the demon,' Inuyasha thought to himself.

There were still so many things Inuyasha had running through his mind as he sat next to her, watching her sleep.

The parasite demon had threatened that there were many other demons who were aware of Kagome's spiritual powers and that they hadn't been weakened by her mating with him. Inuyasha had always wondered why Kagome's powers had never waned after the night they were married. After all, it was one of the main reasons that he was so willing to become human for Kikyo all those years ago; he assumed she'd asked him to become human so that she wouldn't be tainted by his demonic nature. Hadn't that been why she'd asked him to become human? Because she was afraid to lose her powers, corrupted by his demonic side?

So why hadn't Kagome's powers weakened?

It was simple; she accepted him as a half-demon. Her love for him was pure in its most base sense, and she wouldn't have asked him to abandon half of who he was to satisfy her own fears. Kagome had never been discouraged or intimidated by the idea that his demonic powers might overwhelm her at any point; that she might have lost her spiritual powers altogether. That never bothered her, and she never hesitated in her loyalty to him. But that put her in a dangerous position now.

If other demons knew about this, then she'd always be at risk of being manipulated again for a demon's quest for power. She'd always have a target on her back.

'She's always had a target on her back,' Inuyasha reminded himself. Ever since she told him she wanted to stay by him, he knew she'd always be at risk. When they first met, he knew what the villagers thought of him. Kagome was their reborn priestess, and he didn't doubt that there were villagers who felt the same way Musou did; that Inuyasha had corrupted her in some way to convince her to stay by his side.

Luckily, over time, the villagers knew that Inuyasha wasn't the evil villain that they'd built him up to be, and Kagome was the cause of that change. But there would always be people who looked at what they had, and instead of seeing something wonderful and beautiful, they'd only see their twisted, warped version of their reality.

Inuyasha wanted to talk to her about all this, find out her feelings surrounding all this information, but it would have to wait. For now, he just wanted to go back to the piece of paradise they'd managed to build for themselves several days earlier.

He moved to lift her from the hard floor and into his arms without waking her. As he deposited her on their bed and adjusted the fur blanket to cover her completely so she wouldn't get cold, he initially was going to sit by the bedside, ever her vigilant protector, and allow her to get a good night's rest. But when he tried to move away, he felt her unrelenting grip on his arm, pulling him to join her unconsciously. He sighed as he felt his heart swell. Somehow, she was always able to bring the warmth back into his heart with just the simplest of gestures.

He quietly shifted the blanket and joined her in their bed, cradling her body under his own, and it wasn't long before he joined her in peaceful sleep; back to that little piece of paradise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! That one took a while to write because I was having some trouble trying to resolve the second half in a satisfying way. Definitely had multiple versions of this story that go down different routes. But, with the state of everything right now, I wanted to have a story that focused on Kagome's unrelentingly kind heart and how it permeates into the relationships around her, as we need more people like her. We all get angry. We all are afraid of something. But we have to remember that we're human, and we can't take those feelings out on others around us. And that even the worst of us is capable of redemption (at least that's what I try to believe).
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know your thoughts and feelings in a review, as I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to read one of my stories.
> 
> Also, be sure to follow/favorite the story! I try to update once a week (this one is a week late, which may mean I don't have one for next week, but I do have more chapters outlined already) so be sure to follow for updates!
> 
> I hope you all are safe and healthy!
> 
> Until Next Time…


	5. When I Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit difficult for me to parse out how I wanted to go about telling this story. It took a while to write, and it has turned into probably the longest story/chapter I've ever written, though I had initially gone into it thinking it would be a completely different story.
> 
> **Warning: The chapter has smutty elements, and is Rated M(ff.net) / E(AO3)! You've been warned!**
> 
> Let's get into it!

**Over a year after Kagome's return…**

"It's so dark out, "Kagome commented as she looked up at the night sky just outside their home, the moon nowhere to be seen. She sat on the veranda as she quietly raised her hands in a motion Inuyasha had become innately familiar with.

This had become their ritual on the nights of the new moon; Kagome would erect a barrier surrounding the home so as to protect them from any tempestuous demons who would be inclined to attack them. After the demonic possession a few months prior, Kagome thought it was necessary to have some kind of security, especially since Inuyasha felt she was in danger from other demons. They'd had a long discussion about it, and this was their compromise.

They'd erected a barrier that, outside of the new moon, would be disabled so that Inuyasha could still come and go as he pleased. But if the need ever arose, Kagome would be able to seal them inside the barrier, without purifying Inuyasha in the process. It would be strong enough to ward off any demons who tried to enter and protect anyone sealed within it.

"Figures," Inuyasha scoffed as they returned inside to get dinner on, "Of course some neighboring village just had to have a demon problem right when the new moon was coming."

Kagome giggled at his frustration, "Well, it's a good thing Sango's up for demon slaying again, otherwise it would've been a lost job."

With their youngest at just around a year old now, Sango and Miroku felt ready to take on more demon-slaying work again, so long as their children were well taken care of. So, when a messenger from a village two days away came asking for their services, Sango jumped at the chance, her hands itching to use Hiraikotsu again. And with Inuyasha being human during the time they were away, it gave her the perfect opportunity to get back in the game.

They'd left the village early the day prior, borrowing Rin and Shippo as babysitters while they were away. Both the youngsters were growing up fast and were eager to help to prove they were becoming responsible, so Kagome and Inuyasha were spared from having to look after the herd of children.

"Besides, I'm sure Miroku and Sango could use some time alone from the kids for a bit," Kagome commented thoughtfully as she started on making dinner, "They've barely had any time to themselves over the winter, so I can imagine why they jumped at the chance to take the job."

Inuyasha settled near the fire pit as he joked "Give 'em enough alone time, and they'll have another little one by this time next year."

Kagome giggled, "Can you blame them?"

"I guess not," he sighed as he lamented, "But still, I just feel so useless like this. I just wish it hadn't been during the new moon," he complained.

Kagome smiled back at him, "You're definitely _not_ useless."

He only gave a "Keh" as his reply, using Tessaiga's blade against the flint to start a fire.

Kagome giggled at his mild temper tantrum. She approached him quietly and sat behind him, reaching her arms around his waist and leaning her body against his back. She rested her head against his shoulder as he continued to try to start the fire, "I can think of quite a few things you're _very_ useful for. Especially when I get to have you all to myself," she purred with a mischievous grin.

Inuyasha nearly dropped the flint as her hands moved over his chest, her voice sending a shiver down his spine – in a good way, "Heh," as the first sparks lit and the flames began to grow, he moved Tessaiga into its sheath and placed his hand over Kagome's comfortingly, "I can't wait to hear you go into great detail about all the things I'm useful for like _this_."

His tone was still somewhat sour, almost making a joke at his own expense. Inuyasha hated being in his human form. Even if they were relatively safe with Kagome's barrier, he'd never gotten completely comfortable with it. He never felt like himself, like everything that was familiar and comforting to his sense was slightly distant and dulled. He still never slept on these nights, but as of lately, that was for very different reasons…

Kagome leaned up, poking her face over his shoulder, and asked, "Do you want me to make you ramen? Will that make you feel better?"

Inuyasha blushed as he turned back to her, nodding eagerly, an almost hilarious pout on his face. She couldn't help but laugh at his adorable expression, like a kid who was getting his favorite treat for being good.

She kissed his cheek and said, "You've got it, "as she pulled away start on the meal.

Kagome had managed to find a way to make a version of the instant ramen Inuyasha loved so much when she was able to bring it back from her time. This version wasn't perfect by any means, but if even Inuyasha enjoyed it, she must've been doing something right.

As she put on the hot water to make the broth, she turned back to start on the rest of the food but was pulled back into Inuyasha's lap. Kagome giggled initially, trying to fight against his grip, "Come on! Do you _want_ the ramen or not?"

Her skin felt like it melted when he replied in a low growl against her ear, "As long as I can have you for dessert."

"Inu _yaaashaaa_!" she drawled out in a tone that mocked shock as she playfully slapped his arm, "We'll have all night for _dessert_ ," she said sarcastically, "Let me at least get the main course going first!"

"Oh I think we can switch things up this one time," he retorted with a snicker before kissing her just behind her ear and down to the junction of her neck.

The innuendo wasn't lost on either of them, as they'd found incredibly entertaining and sensual ways to stay up all night on the new moon together. If he wasn't going to sleep, then they'd at least make a night of it.

Kagome shivered under his ministrations, but was startled back to reality by someone calling out to her in the distance, "Lady Kagome!"

"You hear that?" she asked in between a moan.

"I don't hear shit, "Inuyasha snarled against her throat, trying to ignore the disruption. But once they heard it again, Kagome quickly stopped him and moved to escape his embrace. She sorted herself as she quickly stood and strode towards the front door, sliding open the shoji and seeing two of the men from the village racing up to the house, each with a torch in their hands.

"Lady Kagome! Please, we need your assistance!" one of the men pleaded as they approached the entrance.

"What is it?" she asked them as a disgruntled Inuyasha approached from behind, listening to their request carefully.

The other man explained, "It's Lady Kaede! There was a demon attack in the village! She managed to fend it off for now, but she's been injured! Please, we need your help!"

"Where's Jinenji?" she asked them.

Jinenji was made aware that the new moon was Inuyasha's human night, and took up the mantle of defending the village during those times.

"Don't you remember?" one of the men asked, "He left yesterday to travel back to his home village… to pay respects to his mother's grave. He hasn't returned yet."

Kagome gasped, realizing that the village had been left nearly defenseless. With Sango and Miroku gone, Inuyasha in his human form, and Jinenji away, she and Kaede were the only line of defense left against a demon attack.

She grabbed her bow and arrows, as well as a mini first aid kit, she'd fashioned for situations such as these. Moving to follow them not long after, she heard Inuyasha grab Tessaiga as well, though she stopped him quickly, "Stay here, and don't leave the house! The barrier will protect you while I'm away."

Inuyasha faltered, not used to hearing her be the one to tell him that. It was usually the other way around, but like she'd ever listened to him, "Fat chance! I'm not letting you go alone!"

Kagome turned back to the men, and said in a calm voice, "Give us a moment?"

They nodded and moved away from the home to give them some privacy. As Kagome turned back to Inuyasha, she explained, "Listen, if there's a demon attacking the village, I'll at least have my powers to fight back against it and protect the others," she paused as she looked down at Tessaiga in his grasp, "You won't have anything to defend yourself with."

Inuyasha got up right in her face, and countered aggressively, "I can handle myself against some wimpy demon!"

"Inuyasha, please…" her tone was assertive, her eyes boring into his now slate grey ones. He shuttered for a moment; he'd never seen her give him a look like that before, "If you're here, I know that you'll be safe. The barrier will protect you."

"But… what about y-" he tried to start, but she softly placed her fingertips over his lips to quiet him.

"I promise, I'll be fine," she started, "I'll be back shortly. Just stay here… please?"

Her eyes were pleading him to listen to her, and he felt compelled to agree with her. How was she so good at that?

"Fine," he replied shortly, "But don't take too long, or I _will_ come after you."

She shot him a smile as she nodded, relieved he would listen for once, "Don't worry. I'll be back soon."

She quietly reached up and gave him a quick peck on his cheek before she turned, running out of the house and following the men back to the village. Inuyasha stood in the doorway, his gut sending conflicting messages to his mind, wanting to run after them.

As they ran out of his sight, he sighed as he moved back into the house, resting back by the fire pit, taking the now boiling water off the heat, their dinner plans a faded memory.

In a far part of his mind, he knew Kagome was right. He was just a liability if he went out to fight a demon with her. His human nights were his most vulnerable; there was nothing he could do to help. He couldn't use Tessaiga on these nights, and if he was injured, his demon powers wouldn't be any use until morning. And what good would that be to her then?

He gripped Tessaiga tightly in his hand, subconsciously trying to transform it through sheer force of will. But he knew it was useless.

'There's no use worrying… at least for now,' he thought to himself, staring into the flames.

Kagome had definitely been improving in her powers and her marksmanship over the last few months, enough that she was regularly slaying demons when Inuyasha was away on jobs with Miroku. He had no real reason to be concerned. And since she was set to become the new High Priestess of the village someday, she would become the official leader and protector of these people. She had to be prepared to fight on her own. After all, it's what she'd been training for; moments exactly like these when Inuyasha wasn't always going to be able to protect her or the others.

Still… It didn't stop his instincts from wanting to chase after her, just to make sure she was alright.

It triggered a deeply held memory that he hadn't thought about in a very long time... one that even Kagome didn't know bout.

The night his mother died…

* * *

**200 years ago…**

" _Stay here, Inuyasha," she said it so softly, he'd almost missed it._

_He was so young still, huddled in a hidden room in the palace that he and his mother's court lived in. The room was concealed under the floorboards of his mother's room, an entrance that was covered by the mats. Only Inuyasha, his mother, and Myoga knew of it._

_The palace was the only place he'd ever known. He'd never left this land, and he'd never known any threat in his life, not even from those in her court who hated them. They may have made their thoughts about him and his mother well-known, but they had never made any kind of physical threat towards him or his mother._

_But that night… it was the new moon…_

" _Stay here, and I'll come for you soon. Just don't make a sound, alright?" she whispered again as she settled him into the secret room._

_Inuyasha nodded up to his mother, understanding the arrangement, never knowing it would be the last time he'd see her alive._

" _My precious boy," she said to him, thankful that her son was so good at following instructions, even at such a young age. She quietly but quickly closed the latch, leaving him with a lantern burning, giving him the only source of light in the darkness. They'd done this many times before. No one could find out about his secret, and his mother wouldn't allow him to be seen as vulnerable by her court, in the chance they were looking for an appropriate opportunity to try anything. She refused to give them one._

_He sat there, in silence and darkness for hours, as he had before. But something was different. After a while, he remembered hearing an argument above him, the sound of feet shuffling against the mat, and the deep gruffness of strange men's voices as they entered. He couldn't make out what they were saying, as his hearing wasn't as strong as it normally was, and the door to the room was thick, blocking out most sounds._

_But he did hear his mother's scream… and then a thud against the floor above him._

" _Mother…?" he asked aloud, but clamped a hand over his mouth, reminded that she said to stay quiet; that she would come for him when morning arrived. Inuyasha never disobeyed his mother… so he sat… and waited…_

_As dawn arrived, and his demon half returned, his senses started to pick up the sounds and smells that had been dulled during the night. He could smell blood… and he could hear men talking in the distance, voices he didn't recognize as anyone in the court._

_After a few more hours of waiting, Inuyasha grew impatient. He'd never had to wait this long for his mother to come back for him._

_But he soon heard a familiar voice, "Master Inuyasha!"_

" _Myoga?" Inuyasha asked, hearing the voice of his tiny vassal, "Is that you?"_

_Myoga jumped, landing on Inuyasha's shoulder, "Quickly, Master Inuyasha, you need to flea!"_

" _Why? What's going on? Where's mother?" Inuyasha asked him frantically._

_Myoga replied in a panic, "She sent me to collect you! I'm sorry, but time is of the essence! We must get out of here!"_

_Inuyasha nodded, following Myoga's instruction to leave the room. He pushed up against the heavy latch door, peeking out and seeing blood strewn all over his mother's room. As he ascended, he could smell the blood more clearly. It was his mother's._

" _Myoga! Where's mother?" he asked again, growing upset as his senses were overwhelmed._

" _I promise, Master! I will take you to her, but for now, you must run! Your life depends on it!" Myoga pleaded._

_Inuyasha's tears began to fall, hesitant to run, "Where?! Where will I go?!"_

" _To the forest! Run as deep as you can go and get as far away from the palace as you can," Myoga answered as he bounced urgently on his shoulder, "Now, quickly, before you are discovered!"_

_Inuyasha sniffled quietly, but he resolved himself and ran. He ran as far and as fast as his feet would carry him. He'd never been into the forest before, but he moved swiftly as Myoga guided him as best he could._

_As they broke out into a clearing, Inuyasha paused to catch his breath. He'd never run as long and as far before, and his emotions persisted in catching up with him. He fell to his knees as he began to cry, wailing from feeling lost, afraid, and alone._

" _Master…?" Myoga asked him, trying to comfort the small child._

_Inuyasha didn't know what to say, he just sat there… and howled._

_Myoga leaped down from his shoulder, staring up at the poor boy. He'd known all along what Lady Izayoi's fate was, though he couldn't bring himself to tell his young master._

_After many hours, Myoga encouraged Inuyasha to find a place to take shelter in a nearby cave. They were well into the wilderness, near no road or village, and no signs of life. The most they'd have to contend with were other demons, but Myoga was more than equipped to hide his master._

_After a few days of hiding and Inuyasha begging Myoga to bring him to see his mother, Myoga eventually gave in. They made their way back to the palace, which had been ransacked and abandoned._

_With the palace having been deserted, it made it easier for Inuyasha to parse out the scent of his mother, and he followed it to the main room. Myoga tried to brace the young boy for what he might see, but nothing would erase the image of his mother's lifeless body in the center of the room, her dried blood covering the layers of kimono she'd worn the night he'd last seen her alive._

_She'd been attacked during the night by a group of hired bandits - hired by her own court._

_Apparently, some of her handmaids had told the courtiers that they knew of Inuyasha's human night during the new moon, having caught glimpses of him with black hair and no dog ears before he'd disappear with Lady Izayoi, but they never found out where she had kept him during that time. They'd taken her prisoner, in the hopes of finding the location of her son and slaying him while he was weakened. But she never wavered, never revealing where her son was. She had protected her son's life with her own and gave him the chance he needed to escape._

_Inuyasha stayed with her body, crying over the loss of his mother for days that neither he nor Myoga could keep track of._

_It was Inuyasha who buried his mother's body after he'd become numb to the feelings he'd experienced, eventually unable to cry anymore. He buried her under a tree that overlooked the lake that they could see from the palace grounds. He'd always loved to spend his days there with her, and he'd forever travel to visit her gravesite, and remembering all she'd done and sacrificed for him._

* * *

The experience had burned itself into Inuyasha's psyche. He'd never forgotten what it felt like to smell the blood of someone he loved fresh in the air and having it completely overwhelm his senses. He hated that he wasn't strong enough to protect her when he was younger; that he couldn't save her. It was a strong motivation for why he wanted to become a full-fledged demon for along as he did, why he continued to hide on his human nights, and why he'd never let anyone see him like this, not even Kikyo. That was… until Kagome.

And now, Kagome was protecting him, the same way his mother did; by having him hide away until she would come back for him.

He'd sat there, for what felt like hours, just reminded of that terrible night, and waiting patiently for Kagome's return. But something in his gut stirred after so long. He may not have had his demon powers, but he still had his instincts.

Inuyasha quickly stood, Tessaiga firm in his grasp, and turned to leave the house.

'Dammit it all!' He thought to himself, 'I don't care if I'm of no use, I won't let Kagome do this alone!'

He ran down into the village, making a quick descent to Kaede's hut where he assumed they would have been if Kagome was treating her injuries. There was some damage to the livestock huts towards the outskirts of the village, and animal carcasses littered the roads between the villager's huts. He assumed it must've been the demon that attacked the village earlier.

He saw a small group of villagers, including the headman, just outside the old priestess's hut, seemingly talking about what had happened. As Inuyasha approached them, he asked hurriedly, "Hey, where's Kagome?"

The villagers turned to him with worried expressions, initially taken aback by Inuyasha's altered appearance. Inuyasha may have grown more accustomed to being around these villagers, but they weren't terribly familiar with his human form. They quickly realized who it was and pointed towards Kaede's hut. Before they could protest, Inuyasha nodded and pushed open the covering. He was quickly relieved when he saw Kagome finishing up bandaging Kaede, who was pretty beaten up. He'd never seen the older woman look so battered.

Rin, Shippo, and all the kids were huddled together on the other side of the hut, fast asleep from all the chaos earlier in the night.

Kagome started shortly when she heard the movement at the door, though her back was facing towards him, "I told you, I'll be out shortly! Give her some priva…" As she turned to look back at the villager who'd dare to cross into the hut, she was surprised to see Inuyasha there in their place, "Inuyasha?"

He made his way into the hut, closing the covering behind him, "Hey… sorry. I can leave if you want me to."

Kaede interjected, "It's alright, Inuyasha. You may enter."

Kagome sighed as he came to sit by them, "What're you doing here? I told you to stay at the house."

He slipped his arms into the sleeves of his suikan and replied, trying to play off his concern as an annoyance, "You took so long to come back, so came to make sure you hadn't gotten yourself killed."

Kagome smirked and shook her head before getting back to tending to Kaede, knowing it was his way of saying he got worried over her, "I wish you'd stayed at home. At least I know the barrier would have protected you until I got back."

He scoffed at her dismissal, "Well it doesn't seem like there's much of a threat here anymore, so what's the worry?"

"That is where you're wrong, Inuyasha," Kaede commented as she gingerly tried to put back on her robes, though Kagome helped her ease back into it so as prevent any further strain, "The demon is still at large. We'd managed to push it back for now, but we don't know when it'll attack again."

Kagome turned to Inuyasha with a worried expression, "I'm going to stay here and set up a barrier around the village. Why don't you head on home for now?"

He scoffed, "I'm not going anywhere until that demon's taken care of. If your barrier can hold it off from attacking again til daybreak, I can go after it myself, and we'll finish it off once and for all."

Kagome smiled sadly, knowing she wasn't going to persuade him, "Alright," she stood from her spot next to Kaede as she retrieved her bow and arrows, "Kaede, you stay here and rest. I'll be back in a bit to check on you. Inuyasha, can you stay and watch over her and the kids?"

He nodded, as she turned to leave, but before she could cross, he said, "Just… If you need me…"

Kagome looked back over her shoulder and smiled, "I'll call for you."

She disappeared behind the covering, and Inuyasha was left to the silence of the hut before Kaede asked him, "You seem quite upset, Inuyasha. What ails you?"

Inuyasha didn't look her way, only staring at the door that Kagome had left through. He replied passively, "Nothing. Just get some rest, ya old hag."

Kaede ignored his attempt to brush off the question, "You know Kagome is stronger than you give her credit for, right?"

Inuyasha sighed, "I know, but I can't help but feel on edge. I can't protect her like this, and if something were to happen to her because I wasn't there…" he paused, unable to vocalize his worst nightmare.

"I understand, Inuyasha, " Kaede interjected, "But you, also, don't give yourself enough credit."

"What do you mean?" he asked her, not understanding what she meant.

Kaede leaned back trying to get comfortable, though she flinched with pain. Inuyasha moved over and helped to lower her back onto the futon so she could rest. As he settled her, she continued, "Just because you are human doesn't make you weak. Yes, you may not have your usual demonic powers, but you can still be strong, even in this form."

As he lifted the blanket over her, he asked, "How? How can I possibly be of any use when I'm like this?"

Kaede smiled up at him, "You're doing it now. You're helping an old woman get comfortable during a moment of great pain without having been asked to do so."

Inuyasha was taken aback, "Huh?"

Kaede continued, "You're watching over us while Kagome goes out to protect the rest of the village. It's something she has done for you many times, as a mere human herself, but you are only truly coming to terms with it now, it appears. Unconditional support is the greatest strength you can offer to anyone, even when you are not physically capable to help. Just being there and supporting them _can_ be enough."

His brow knitted in thought and his gaze lowered to his hands in his lap, looking at the claws that had vanished, "But… wouldn't it have just been better if I were never human to begin with? So that I could always be strong for them… for her?"

"Perhaps," Kaede responded, "but then, would you truly be who you are now? Would you be the man Kagome loves so dearly?"

He smirked to himself and replied quietly with a melancholy tone, "I guess not…"

Kaede looked up at him, taking one of his hands into hers, gaining his focus, and said sternly to him, "Kagome's unconditional love and support of you has made you stronger than you ever imagined was possible. _That_ is what you must be for her as well."

Inuyasha's gaze softened as he snickered, "Silly old woman."

"Silly dog," she replied in kind, "Kagome will make a wonderful head priestess someday, and she will go on to accomplish a great many things. You must be there for her… as she has been for you."

There was a quiet pause as he nodded before Kaede slowly drifted off to sleep, leaving Inuyasha to keep watch over her and the children. As the night pressed on, and the voices of the villagers dissipated, there was left only an eerie silence as Inuyasha thought about what Kaede had told him.

But as he began to dwell on his inner musings, his usual instincts returned, telling him something was amiss. Inuyasha stood and moved to take up his post by the entrance, looking out the door. He couldn't see beyond the few huts in front of him, it was so dark out without the light of the moon, and his eyes weren't as keen as they normally were.

He felt the pit of uncertainty grow stronger, but in a moment of pause, he heard her voice in his mind, 'Inuyasha, can you stay and watch over her and the kids?'

He turned back to see the Kaede and the children undisturbed. With a frustrated growl, he turned back to stare out the door, desperately hoping that Kagome was alright on her own.

* * *

As Kagome made her way around the perimeter of the village, setting up the barrier, she worried about Inuyasha and the others.

'Maybe I should've asked Inuyasha to take Kaede and the kids back to the house. They'd all be safe there,' she thought to herself.

But upon further reflection, she'd realized that Kaede was in no condition to be moved. She was hurt really badly, and she needed to stay put for now. And Inuyasha having to move her, along with managing five youngsters all on his own… that would've been a recipe for disaster.

'Inuyasha will make sure they're alright,' she reminded herself, assured that he wouldn't let anything happen to them.

As she neared the end of the barrier, she felt the ground vibrate under her feet.

"Oh no…" she said aloud, as she readied her bow and arrow. But as she saw what approached in the distance, it didn't look like a demon at all.

Instead, a cavalry of samurai, a few holding flags of their daimyo, approached on horseback up the trail that led to the village. As she read the clan's emblem, she recognized it as the Hojo clan's sigil, but didn't see Akitoki amongst their riders, 'What do they want?' she wondered as they approached.

As they arrived, the Kagome stood across the edge of the barrier, activating the final conduit for the perimeter to take effect. In an instant, a shimmer of light encapsulated the village, protecting everyone inside. She stood firm, unwavered by the men who came to a halt in front of her.

"Stand aside, young priestess," the leader of the group addressed her casually, "Our master sent us to search the villages across this land."

"Oh?" she replied calmly, "Search us of what, exactly?"

The commander, clearly taken aback by her brazenness, retorted, "This land belongs to the Hojo clan. We need not explain ourselves to a lowly priestess such as yourself. Now stand aside!"

Kagome steadied herself, unmoved by the demand, "I'm very familiar with the Hojo family. However, this is our village, and I won't let you pass until you explain why you're here. We've just come under attack by a demon, which is still in the area, and until that demon has been taken care of, I'm afraid I can't let you in."

"Impudent girl…" he sneered, withdrawing his sword and pointing it accusingly at her, "You _will_ move aside, lest my sword strike you down and we move you ourselves!"

"Try it," she chided as she drew her bow, releasing the arrow that landed just in front of the group of men. The trail exploded, her spiritual energy imbued within the arrow having done exactly as she'd hoped. Earth and dirt flung across the air as the men's horses spooked and recoiled in fear, nearly throwing off their riders.

Kagome stood ahead of them as the men screamed at her attack, a few riding away in retreat. She readied another arrow as a warning, the commander glaring at her, "You wench! How dare you!"

But before Kagome could release another arrow, the wind blew ferociously, causing her to lose her footing for a moment as it blew her over, along with the commander and his horse.

"What the…?!" she cried as she looked towards the direction of the wind. Overhead flew a large hawk demon, circling over the village and casting a darkened shadow.

The samurai all turned with their horses, unwilling to fight against such a large demon, and rode away, leaving behind their commander. He shouted at them to return, but it fell on deaf ears, as even his horse soon rose and galloped away with the rest of the men.

He was left stranded, only he and Kagome to fight off the large bird. As he turned back to face the girl who'd caused all the ruckus, he grabbed for his sword, and threatened her again, "I'll kill you for this!"

"Can it wait?" she slapped back, ignoring the man's blatant threat on her life. He stood dumbfounded at her counter, unable to comprehend the belligerent woman before him.

She starred only at the hawk which was circling overhead, attempting to strike at the village, but her barrier getting in its way. It was hard to remain standing as its wings continued to flap, generating winds that would have easily flung her back. She dug her bow into the ground, using it to steady herself as she tried to find out how she could best slay the demon.

In the corner of her eye, she started to see some of the villagers emerging from their huts to see if the demon had returned, multiple of the men arriving with their own weapons in hand.

"Stay inside the barrier!" Kagome ordered as she saw them attempt to approach her, "You'll all be safe as long as you stay inside!"

The villagers halted at her command, though they looked on in sorrow, wondering what they could do to help.

* * *

Inuyasha heard the commotion coming from outside and moved to inspect what was happening from the door of the hut. The villagers looked to be scrambling for their weapons again. He saw the hawk demon circling overhead, unable to break through Kagome's barrier. At least he knew she was okay.

"Inu… yasha?" he heard Shippo groan behind him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "What's going on?"

"The demon's back," Inuyasha answered as Shippo came up beside him to see for himself.

"Oh no! What're we gonna do?!" Shippo exclaimed in a panic.

Inuyasha quickly hushed him, "Kagome's got this. She's set up a barrier around the village, so it can't attack us."

Shippo looked on worried, "But doesn't maintaining a barrier that size takes an enormous amount of spiritual energy?"

Inuyasha knew it as well. While Kagome did have immense spiritual powers, she still was susceptible to exhausting herself. But until he could turn back into a half-demon, there wasn't much more they could do. Staying here meant they stayed safe, and she wouldn't have to worry. And as much as he wanted to run to her, he gave her his word he wouldn't leave them defenseless. Shippo watched as Inuyasha's jaw set uncomfortably, seeing a sneer on his face for a moment as he continued to stare out the door as and he sighed in frustration, "If she can just hold the barrier until daybreak, it'll be alright."

Shippo could hear the uncertain tone in Inuyasha's voice. It was unlike him to sit idle while Kagome was putting herself in the direct line of danger. The small fox could only look back at the sky, watching the barrier deflect as the demon attempted over and over to break through, "Kagome…"

* * *

'There's gotta be some kind of weakness…' she thought to herself, surveying the body of the demon as best she could. In a moment, she saw a small exposed piece of flesh just under the wings, 'There!'

Kagome pulled her arrow from her quiver and positioned herself on one knee – to maintain her balance against the gusts of wind – as she aimed straight for the bit of exposed flesh.

The samurai commander watched on as she took aim for the demon, and astonished at her strength, stared as she summoned her powers to merge with the arrow. He'd never seen a priestess with such immense power before.

"Go!" She released the arrow, embedded with spiritual energy, but the demon had managed to dive out of the way just in time, circling back and attempting to attack her.

It dove with incredible speed, and before she could even try to duck out of its way, the demon had snatched Kagome by her waist in its talons and flew back towards the sky, though it no longer flew to circle the village. Instead, it put more and more distance between them and the village, the demon headed towards the mountains in the horizon.

Kagome could hear the villager's shouting grow fainter as she was lifted higher and higher into the sky, looking down over the valley.

"Let… me… go!" Kagome shrieked. She tried desperately to get the demon's grasp to loosen around her, as it attempted to crush her in its talons, cutting off her air supply. She grabbed one of her sacred arrows, and stabbed the demon right in a soft bit of flesh in its claws, in an attempt to find relief. The demon's foot began to be purified and it let her go with a sharp stinging cry.

As its grip released, Kagome screamed as she began to fall from the sky at an alarming rate, the villagers and the samurai commander watching from afar helplessly as she plummeted back to the Earth.

As she fell, Kagome became momentarily aware of the sun breaching the horizon and shining into her eyes. 'Daybreak!' Kagome thought quickly before screaming, "Inuyashaaaaa!"

* * *

Within Kaede's hut, he could feel his strength returning; his hair paled to its usual silver shimmer, his fangs and claws elongated, his hearing and sense of smell all becoming sharp once more. And just as his powers came back, he heard her cry out for him.

His heart sank in his chest as he bounded out of the hut in an instant, barely a blur as he ran out of the area. He flew over the huts of the village, leaping over the roofs, and nearing the edge of the barrier Kagome had erected. He struggled for a breath and his heart skipped a beat as he spotted her in the distance, falling from the sky as the hawk demon circled around, looking to make another attack on her.

"Kagome!" he flew from the roof of a hut and soared outside of the barrier that shielded him and the other villagers from harm, barrelling towards her, praying he would make it in time.

In an instant, his mind flashed to the image of his mother; her lifeless body on the floor in the palace he'd grown up in, covering and caked in her own blood, his feeling of being helpless, unable to stop her death. The same feeling ripping at him now as he watched Kagome fall.

However, he saw her pull a sacred arrow from her quiver and aim for the hawk demon, releasing it and striking the demon just under its wing, pausing its attempted attack as its body began to be purified further. Inuyasha silently thanked Kagome's quick instincts, meaning the demon was no longer an immediate threat to her, and he resolved himself in his fervent mission, running as fast as his legs could carry him across the valley.

It all happened so quickly. He shot up to leap across one of the fields towards her and with barely any room to spare, quickly snatched her from out of the air. Unable to straighten himself for a graceful landing, he tucked Kagome into his chest and turned his back to the ground as they landed with a hard thud, skidding across the grassy field.

Inuyasha recovered quickly, and without much pain, though he was sure his shoulder would be sore for the next week. He felt Kagome's weight on top of him, and he quickly moved to check on her, "Kagome?"

She had been momentarily knocked out from the impact, but she was responding, though barely, "Hmm… Inu…" She tried to open her eyes, feeling like weights had been added to her eyelids for some reason. But she was conscious.

He adjusted himself to sit up with her cradled against his chest, trying to get her to look up at him so he could assess the damage," Come on, Kagome. Look at me!"

She slowly raised her chin towards his voice and attempted to look at him, but before she could even reply, she saw the head of the hawk demon flying towards them, behind Inuyasha. He hadn't even noticed, his worried amber eyes fixated solely on her and nothing else.

Kagome mustered every bit of energy she had as she reacted quickly, raising her hand and deflecting the demon head with what remained of her spiritual power, purifying the rest of its body from the earth. Its death shriek echoes across the valley as the dawn began to set in the sun reflecting the light of the demon's purification.

Inuyasha's arm had clutched sharply around her shoulders, huddling over her body to protect her from another attack, but once he realized it was quiet, he slowly peered around them, finding the demon had been exorcised.

He turned back to his wife in a panic, "Kagome?!" She was unconscious, limp in his arms, her breathing faint and steady. He could hear her heartbeat, though it was slow and weak.

"Dammit!" he cursed aloud, his voice cracking slightly. He brought her body fully into his arms as he sat in the grassy field, cradling her against him, nestling her head into the crook of his elbow as he rested his forehead to hers, "I should have been there with you!"

He berated himself. He should have been there. He shouldn't have left her side. He'd almost lost her. If he'd been only a second later… she would've…

Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to imagine the worst. His jaws tightened repeatedly as he struggling to breathe properly. He felt the prickling sting in the corners of his eyes as he squeezed them shut, refusing to let the emotions of his childish fears get the better of him.

'She's alright, 'he had to remind himself, 'That's all that matters.'

He pulled back after a few moments, steadying his breath finally. He brushed his hand against her cheek, hoping she'd wake up. Inuyasha stayed there with her until the sun started to warm the earth and the air around them. After a while, his ears twitched as he heard the footsteps of the villagers approach them. He could hear their shouts in the distance, "Lady Kagome!"

Inuyasha steadied himself to face them, standing swiftly with Kagome in his arms. He walked towards the crowd as they parted to make room, "Is she alright, Inuyasha?" he could hear them ask.

His reply was short, repeating it almost to himself, "She's alive."

There was a wave of relief from the villagers, knowing the young priestess was alright. One of the men approached and said simply, "She saved our lives."

"Yes. We'd mobilized the men to aid her, but she refused, telling us to stay within the barrier, so we'd all be safe."

Inuyasha flinched, and he asked them, "Why was she outside the barrier?"

One of the villagers women replied, "There was a group of samurai that approached the village just as she was raising it. She was conversing with them just outside of it when we heard the demon return."

Inuyasha let out a growl, "Where are these samurai? Where did they go?"

As he finished asking – more like demanding – his ear swiveled as he heard new footsteps approach them, he turned as saw the commander approach him solemnly. Inuyasha snarled at him, "Who the hell are you?"

The commander removed his helmet, and with a hesitant look, he replied, "My apologies. I am the General of the Hojo clan's army. I was sent here with a small party to find the half-demon with silver hair and robes made of fire-rat fur. Would you be Inuyasha?"

"You've got some nerve asking for me after what just happened," Inuyasha practically growled at the General, "You're lucky I don't skin you alive."

The General became flustered, realizing that he'd only aggravated the one person he had been sent to find. He looked to the priestess in his arms and realized that had they not been so confrontational with her earlier, she wouldn't have been put in danger.

"W-we meant no harm," he replied cowardly, "We didn't realize she was your companion. She'd refused us entry..."

One of the villager women came forward, "Of course she did! We were under attack from a demon, and then you show up demanding to search the village! She was doing what she needed to protect the rest of us!"

"And don't lie," the headman added, "I heard what you said to her! You threatened to kill her when she did not move!"

Inuyasha began to seethe, his grip on Kagome's limp arm tightening, his eyes boring into the General with a wicked glare, "You what?!"

The General backed away a few steps, quivering as the villagers approached to defend Inuyasha and Kagome.

He'd attempted to excuse his action, "P-please… we had been sent on an urgent mission, and we were told to not allow anyone to stop us. We were only following our orders!"

Inuyasha could feel his blood burn. Not only had these men prevented Kagome from staying within the safety of the barrier, but they'd also openly threatened her. He slowly turned to the headman and quietly insisted, "Take her."

The headman didn't argue, smoothly accepted Kagome into his arm.

Inuyasha stood silently for a moment staring down at her sleeping face before he flexed his claws, the sharp crack of his knuckles echoing across the air. Before the General could even react, Inuyasha had grappled the man onto his back, one hand tightly pinning his throat to the ground, and the other poised to strike above his head, and Inuyasha's face contorted into a visceral angry snarl, "You're gonna give me a damn good reason for why you came looking for me and why the _HELL_ you thought you could get away with threatening _my_ wife!"

The samurai looked up terrified, trying desperately to pull at the hand the encircled his windpipe, "Please…! I did not know…!"

Inuyasha's knuckles cracked once more, "You're wasting your air, old man. Now answer me!"

Eager to find air, the General gasped out between attempted breaths, "The Hojo… lands are being invaded!"

"And why should I care?!" Inuyasha demanded.

"Because this village… along with every other village on these lands… will be embroiled into war and conflict!" the General wheezed, "No one will be spared!"

They could hear the gasps of the villagers behind them at hearing the news that the lands they'd called home would soon be swept up into a war.

Inuyasha snarled, "What does that have to do with why you're lookin' for me?!"

"The young heir… Akitoki Hojo… sent us in search of you and your companions. He said… that you were noble and honorable warriors… and would help to defend the land. Especially… since it is where your home resides."

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the information, and gave the General slight relief from his grip, though kept him pinned to the earth, he steered his answer, "We fight demons, _not_ humans."

"Yes," the General affirmed, "but Akitoki had hoped, and wished that you would join his men, to help lead the defensive, thereby protecting all these lands, including your homes."

"I don't care!" Inuyasha snapped back, "I have no wish to get involved in the petty squabbles over land between humans who won't even live long enough to reap the victory of those battles!"

"But…" the General tried to start again, "Do you not wish to protect your home? Your neighbors? Your family?"

"You're one to ask. In searching for me to ask for help in a war over _fucking_ land, you think it's called for to threaten the priestess of the village that _I_ protect?"

"I swear, I did not know that she was your..."

"It doesn't matter who she is! You come here attempting to gain my trust and help, and instead, you threaten and endanger us! You've brought this fight to us, and we want no part of it!" His grip tightened once again, projecting a knowing threat, "As long as you humans leave us to mind our own business, the safety of my family and this village is none of your concern!"

"Inu… yash…"

Inuyasha instantly stilled as he heard Kagome's weak voice break through the tense air. He turned to look over his shoulder, and saw her eyes amongst the sea of the worried villagers, silently begging him to stop.

"K-Kagome…"

After a few moments of silence, Inuyasha sighed as he slowly released his hand from around the General's neck, moving to stand above him. He turned his back to him, walking back to the headman who continued to hold Kagome, gently taking her back into his arms. The villagers looked to him, all with somber looks on their faces as the General sat up, finally able to breathe once more.

Inuyasha moved to walk back towards the village, and as he passed the General, he started in gruff tone, "Tell Akitoki; if he wants to ask us for favors… he should come here and ask for them himself."

The General shuttered at the imposing intensity behind the declaration, before Inuyasha turned his feral gaze on him once more, "Now get the _fuck_ out of here!"

The General didn't waste his time listening as he stood and left to retrieve his horse and ride back into the distance. The villagers watched on as the General left, and Inuyasha quietly carried Kagome back towards their home.

* * *

Kagome awoke slowly with a headache more intense than she'd ever felt before. The sun was bright and shining out of the corner of her eye, casting an orange haze into the room as she slowly and cautiously tried to open her eyes. She felt so weak still like she could barely move.

As she looked around, she realized that she was at the house, in their bed. She recognized it immediately.

She tried to sit up but felt weighed down by her exhaustion, she wondered, 'How long have I been out? What happened?'

She could feel something warm and consoling over her right hand. She tilted her head down, and saw the familiar sight of her silver-haired, dog-eared husband; fast asleep with an arm resting under his head beside her, and with her hand gently in his own. She could see his face so clearly, and his brows were tense and knotted.

'He must've been so worried,' Kagome thought.

She couldn't help but try to turn her hand to embrace his, giving it a gentle squeeze. She could hear him groan with sleep, stirring from his slumber before turning and looking up towards her. She gave him a soft smile and greeted him with a simple, "Hey…"

Inuyasha sat up quickly, almost shouting, "Kagome!" as he adjusted himself to sit closer to her beside the bed frame and whispering, "How're you feeling?"

She groaned as she attempted to stretch, but could barely move her muscles, "I feel like I've had a mountain dropped on me, but otherwise, I think I'll live."

Inuyasha's expression relaxed as he smiled at her joke, lifting her hand in his and brushing the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb, "I'm not surprised."

She asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

"It's been a few days," he informed her, his voice so timid.

"Ugh… It feels like it," she replied with an exhausted sigh, trying again to sit up, "I feel stiff… and weak."

Inuyasha encouraged her to stay laying down as she tried to move, "Kaede said that would likely be the case, all things considered."

She rolled onto her side in order to get into a different position and relieve the stiffness in her back a bit, facing Inuyasha as she asked him, "What happened?"

Inuyasha, in turn, leaning his chin on his palm, his elbows resting on the mattress beside the pillow, so they were able to look each other in the eye, "What do you remember?"

She thought carefully for a moment, "Last thing I remember was… the sun rising… and I was falling."

His ears lowered, realizing she'd likely blacked out before he'd even grabbed her, "Do you remember what happened to the demon?"

Kagome barely shook her head, but it exacerbated her headache, "No, I only remember getting out of its grip and falling just before daybreak hit."

Inuyasha raised his hand to rest on her cheek, "You used your powers to purify it."

Her eyes grew with worry for a moment, "Was anyone else hurt?"

Of course she'd ask that. Why wasn't he surprised? He shook his head, "No. Your barrier protected the villagers."

She smiled, "I'm glad."

Inuyasha realized that if her memory had blacked out, then did she remember anything about the Hojo clan's men? "Do you remember anything about the samurai that came to the village?" Inuyasha asked her.

Kagome thought for a moment, "I do remember a group of them. They came by just as I was finishing up the barrier."

"Why did you approach them? Why didn't you stay in the barrier?" Inuyasha pushed softly.

Kagome paused, trying to remember her logic in that moment, "I wasn't sure what their intentions were. With the demon still around, I wanted to see if maybe I could find out some information from them, but they were pretty aggressive and I didn't trust them."

Inuyasha smiled weakly, "You're becoming jaded. I think I'm having a negative influence on you."

Kagome giggled, "I'd rather be overly cautious than risk letting a fox into the hen house."

Inuyasha moved to adjust the blanket that covered her as he continued, "They were Akitoki's men."

Kagome nodded, "I remember seeing the sigil, and the leader saying as much."

As he settled back next to her, he explained, "I spoke to him while you were unconscious. He said Akitoki sent them to find us, saying that there's an invasion coming and that this land will be caught up in a war."

She wasn't surprised, though she was confused about why Akitoki didn't come himself. After all, they were friends, "What does he want from us then?"

"Apparently, he wanted us to join in his army; help fight off the invasion," Inuyasha explained.

Kagome grew worried, "You didn't agree to it, right?"

Inuyasha shrugged, "Told 'em to fuck right off."

Kagome giggled at his cockiness, enjoying the moment of brevity. There was a beat of silence between them before he asked, "Kagome, you know what happens in the future, right?"

She looked at him solemnly as she nodded, "Yes."

He asked her a question that'd been on his mind for the last few days, "How bad will this war be?"

Kagome reached to lay a comforting hand over his as she smiled, "We're coming up to the end of the Feudal Era, "She started, remembering her Japanese history lessons.

Inuyasha gave her a puzzled look, "What does that mean?"

"It means that over the next forty to fifty years, there will be a lot of battles. A few leaders will be fighting to acquire all the disparate lands so that no one daimyo or family governs any given area. At the end of it all, there'll no longer be daimyo's fighting over land. We'll soon be entering a time of peace, and Japan will be unified under one government again."

"Forty to fifty years?" Inuyasha asked, concerned at how long this would go on, "But…"

She squeezed her hand in his, "It'll be alright, Inuyasha."

He sighed as he laid his head back against the mattress, "How do you know that? How could you?"

She smiled as she answered, "Because, this land will eventually become the capital of the country. But right now, it's just rural farms and villages, far away from any castles or land borders. We're nowhere near where the battles will take place. We're at the least amount of risk here."

Inuyasha felt a sense of relief rush over him as she explained, "You're sure?"

She nodded reassuringly.

He finally asked, "So what's gonna happen to Akitoki and his family then? If they're the current lords of this area, and you're saying they'll be wiped out, then won't they be…?"

Kagome didn't have a worry, "Akitoki is the ancestor of a classmate of mine in the future. At the very least, his family goes to live for many, many centuries. We'll keep an eye on what's going on, but I don't think anything dire will happen to him or his immediate family."

They sat there for a moment in silence before Inuyasha commented, "I'm so relieved you're okay."

She lifted her hand to place it over his, joking, "Was there any doubt?" Inuyasha cast his eyes away for a moment pulling his hand away from her cheek, worrying Kagome, "Inuyasha?"

"I didn't know if I was going to reach you in time," he blurted out, startling Kagome, "If I'd waited a moment longer, or if I'd been any slower…"

She could see him physically shake, as he tried to turn his back to her, though her hand refused to let him as she tried to sit up, "Inuyasha…?"

The familiar burning in the corner of his eyes returned as he tightly shut them to stop it, "Kagome…"

He'd been so fixated on trying not to cry in front of her that he was genuinely startled when she managed to summon enough energy to sit up in the bed, swinging her legs over the side, and quietly pulled his head into her lap as she leaned over him, hugging his shoulders. She whispered, "I never doubted you. I always know you'll be there to catch me when I fall. You always have."

The sudden gesture broke his façade, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into her lap. His shoulders shuttered as he finally let the frustrations and fears he'd been holding in for the last few days overtake him, his tears finally breaking out.

She quietly comforted him, brushing her fingers through his hair and running her hands over his back and shoulders as he knelt in front of her, sobbing into her yukata. It was a genuine moment of vulnerability that she'd rarely seen from him – that no one but her saw – and she knew it took a lot for him to break down like this.

After what seemed like an eternity of gentle comforts, Kagome could feel his breath steadying and his body no longer shuttering as she tried to lift his head out from her lap. She held his cheeks in her hands, brushing away the wetness from his face as she smiled back at him, "Feel better?"

Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk as he silently thanked her. Kagome leaned down and gently pressed her lips against his, letting him know she'd always be there for him, as he was for her.

He hesitated initially but soon leaned into the familiar taste and feel of Kagome against his lips. He could feel her pulling on his collar as she leaned back onto the bed, taking him with her as he rested his arms on either side of her head and laid carefully over her, neither breaking the connection between them, taking comfort in each other's presence.

Inuyasha inhaled as her scent washed over him, the very present smell of her arousal hitting him like a wave in an instant. He did come up for air eventually and proposed as he panted for air, "You should get some more sleep. You're probably still exhausted, right?"

Kagome blushed as a smile spread across her lips. He was giving her an out if she wanted it. He was so much more loving and considerate than anyone would ever give him credit for.

Her hand snaked up into his hair and massaged his ear, causing his eyes to slide closed momentarily and a low growl to emit from the back of his throat. Kagome teased, "As long as I don't have to do much work, I'll be fine."

An almost evil grin crossed Inuyasha's lips as he dove back into her eagerly awaiting arms. He was more than willing to do all the work.

Inuyasha's lips traveled across her jaw to her neck as he slowly untied her yukata, baring her skin to him slowly. He kissed and licked along her collarbone to her breast, his ears twitching as he listened for her telltale signs of approval. Kagome moaned as she leaned her head back, letting him roam over her body as he saw fit, lightly tracing her hands over his shoulders as he moved. She'd never been disappointed by her husband's lovemaking before, and she knew he'd be slow and careful with her while she was so fragile. But she wanted to comfort him the best way she knew how; by letting him know she wasn't going anywhere.

She reached for the front of his suikan and slid her hands between the folds of his robes, pushing them off his shoulders as he continued to worship her body with his lips. He quickly shucked off the robes before sliding his hands down to her thighs, brushing up towards her core, his lips soon meeting them.

Kagome pushed her hands above her head, bracing against the headboard behind her as she moaned his name. Inuyasha kneeled before her and made love to her with his lips and tongue, relishing in the well-acquainted and thoroughly erotic taste of her. He groaned joyfully, letting his fangs scrape ever so carefully against her as his groan sent vibrations running up her spine and sending her into a frenzy. Her legs were still weak, but her hips bucked against him on their own accord, her body writhing in want, though he managed to pin her down quickly. Her hands reached back down, holding his head against her as she cried out for him over and over, her climax quickly approaching.

However, Inuyasha wasn't looking to totally exhaust his wife. He pulled away moments before she could reach her climax, gently massaging and caressing her thighs as she mewled for him at the loss of his talented lips. He quietly removed the last of his robes before crawling back over her body, brushing his lips against hers passionately and letting her arms wrap around his shoulders urgently, pulling her body against his, craving the feel of him against her.

"Guess you're not as tired as you say you are," Inuyasha chuckled lightly as he pressed his lips to her throat, adjusting their hips against one another.

"Oooh trust me. I am _thoroughly_ exhausted," Kagome moaned sarcastically back to him, lightly tracing her hand over his shoulder, "I just know how to channel what little energy I do have for the most appropriate activities."

Inuyasha smirked against her skin as he pushed himself against her, moving exceptionally slowly and drawing out the feeling of her body embracing his. Her moan signaled when she was comfortable, as they began to move against the other in a way that was uniquely theirs; reading each other's body language and listening for their audible cues had become second nature to them, and they'd rarely fallen out of sync with one another. They knew each other inside and out.

Kagome lifted his head as she pulled his lips to hers, their collective moans and promises of love and adoration the only forces able to break their kiss.

Inuyasha pressed his forehead against hers as he quietly breathed out her name, feeling his body tighten in search of a release. Kagome felt his arms wrap under and around her waist, his hand griping her hips against his and his claws lightly digging into her skin. She pulled him against her as she cried out his name, Inuyasha following her soon after.

The sun had begun to set, the light in the home began to fade, and the air began to cool as their sweat-covered bodies laid against each other. They both tried to breathe deeply against one another, trying in vain to regain their senses.

Inuyasha soon realized how much of his weight rested on top of her body, and he lifted himself off, not looking to crush his already exhausted wife under him. The loss of his touch was immediately felt as her skin felt a cool rush of air cover her and caused goosebumps to rise across her flesh.

Kagome shivered as she tried to reach out for him, though her arms felt somewhat numb and jelly-like.

"Don't…" she tried to say, but she couldn't quite form the coherent thought she had in her mind verbally. Inuyasha understood her though, only moving enough to adjust the blanket that had been pushed to the side and covered them both as he settled back beside her, cradling her body with his behind her. He sighed, wonderfully sated and comforted by the sound of her heartbeat slowing to its normal rhythm, and kissed the area behind her ear as she rested her hand over his arm.

She turned to look back at him, laying more on her back, as Inuyasha looked back at her with starry eyes, nuzzling against her hair. She rested a hand on his cheek, brushing a strand of hair that was matted to his face away as they just let their eyes say everything they needed to.

As he turned to kiss her palm, he thought about something. Something he had been compelled to talk to her about ever since the other day. When he'd watched over her during the last few days, he'd realized just how close he came to losing the most important person in his life, all because he there when he should've been. They got lucky this time, but who knew what would happen next time.

"Kagome…" he started quietly. He listened for her sigh, indicating she was listening before he continued, "There's something that I've never told you… That I want to talk to you about."

A worried look crossed her face for a moment, "Hm… what is it?"

Inuyasha reached his arm to support her back against him, as he stared into her eyes. He took a calming breath before he spoke, "I never told you… how my mother died."

Kagome stiffened in his arms, and he could feel it. He quietly interjected before she could, "When I was little… I'd only ever known my life inside the palace with my mother. I didn't understand anything about the world; how to fight for myself, or how to protect those closest around me. My mother had always been there for me, defended me and comforted me, and I'd never known any real threat or hardship."

Kagome's eyes softened as Inuyasha relayed the details of his past life. He'd never gone into such detail about when he was younger, and he rarely spoke about his mother.

"But every time I turned human on the night of the new moon, my mother would hide me away in a secret room in the palace… to protect me," he squeezed her hand to emphasize his point, "She'd always protected me."

Kagome stayed quiet as she felt him pause, "One night… She sent me into the room as she always did. But that time… she never came back for me."

Kagome's eyes slowly widened in horror, realizing what he was implying. She kept her hand on his cheek, smoothing over his features with the tip of her fingers, silently comforting him.

"I waited… and waited… but she never came back for me," he nearly choked as he tried to continue.

Kagome leaned to press her lips against his forehead, "You don't have to force yourself to explain."

"No," he countered softly, "I just… I need to get this off my chest."

She nodded, realizing this was as much for him as it was for her.

"Eventually," he restarted, swallowing a lump that'd formed in his throat, "Myoga came and found me, and he told me to run into the forest. I was being hunted, and my life depended on escaping while I had the chance."

The memory of being led into the deep forest by Myoga flashed in his mind as he continued, "I'd never left the palace grounds before, and I had no idea what was going on."

Kagome's eyes started to water as he continued, "We hid in the forest for a few days, somewhere in a cave, and I remember _begging_ Myoga to take me to see my mother."

Kagome asked timidly, "Did he?"

Inuyasha nodded solemnly, trying to blink back the tears he knew were coming, "We went back, and the palace had been turned upside down. Nothing of value was left, and the grounds were all destroyed," he paused for a moment, "But I could smell her… I can remember the smell her blood…" he shuttered as he tried to keep his composure.

Kagome quickly wrapped her arms around him as he willingly took her act of comfort, burying his face into her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her torso. He could smell the salt of Kagome's tears as she shed them for him and his mother's sake.

He held her close, as if his life depended on it, and he quietly but angrily confessed, "I couldn't save her…"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome tried to stop him. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault, and that there was nothing he could've done. We was only a child, and his mother had died protecting him. What she did was noble and brave. But she couldn't bring herself to try and silver-line his memories. He'd been traumatized by the experience of losing his mother, not only at such a young age, but in such a horrific and violent way. He'd been forced into the world all alone, with no one there to protect him. He had to become a survivor if he was going live on his own after that. No wonder he'd pushed people away, why he had trust issues, and why he kept his human nights a secret. Kagome had always known this, but this revelation only made it more clear why Inuyasha was the way he was.

"I couldn't…" his voice cracked as the image of his mother's body flashed in his mind again, how her body had felt in his tiny arms as a child and he cried over her, how it felt so different and yet the same when he'd held Kagome's limp body in his arms, "I couldn't 'cause I was weak... If only I weren't…"

Kagome pulled away from the embrace when he paused, brushing her thumb against his cheek and looking upon him with a devastated look in her eyes as she asked, "If only you weren't human? Is that what you mean?"

Inuyasha nodded weakly, "It's why I've always resented my human form. If I'd only been stronger… If only I had my powers… I could've saved her, and she wouldn't have needed to die to protect me… You wouldn't have been in danger in order to protect me."

"Inuyasha… I'll always protect you, just as you protect me," her reply was so blatant, but serene, that Inuyasha could barely process it, "Whether your human, half-demon, or demon, I'll always do what I can to make sure you'll be safe. After all, don't you do the same for me? I've always been human, and I've never felt lesser just because you've wanted to protect me from harm."

Inuyasha listened intently as she explained her point of view.

"I know I can rely on your strength. So why can't you rely on mine, or your mother's? That's the risk we take, right? To protect those we care about?" she'd said it so matter-of-factly.

Inuyasha shook his head, looking away from her intense gaze, "It's not the same."

"How so?" she asked.

"I'd never be able to live with myself if…" he couldn't vocalize it.

She touched her hand to his cheek again, trying to get him to look at her, "If what?"

His jaw flexed as he tried to say, "… if you'd died because I wasn't there for you like I wasn't for her."

Kagome finally understood why he'd felt so passionately about wanting to stay by her side now. Why he fought her about staying in the house, and why he came down to the village. He wanted to be there… in case the worst happened.

Inuyasha raised a hand to brush her hair from her face as he continued, "I couldn't bear it if… If you died because I wasn't there when you needed me."

Kagome's eyes softened as she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss against his lips, "I understand… I feel the same way."

Inuyasha pressed his forehead against hers as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Kagome sighed, "I'd probably be just as riddled with guilt… if you'd died and I knew I could have stopped it."

Inuyasha's eyes saddened at hearing that. He'd never thought of it from the other way around. He'd always told Kagome to stay hidden and stay out of trouble, in the hopes that it'd protect her. But how many times had she argued with him, and came anyways? How many times had she put herself between him and a threat? How many times had her direct actions saved his life? She willingly took on those risks, just as willingly as he would for her.

They'd always protected each other, so why didn't they just let them? Why couldn't they just go and know that they'd always be there for each other?

He pulled away to look at her again, as he said, "Can we just… promise each other that regardless of the circumstances, we stick with each other? Watch each other's backs? No more hiding or sheltering each other?"

Kagome smiled before nodding and answering, "Of course we can."

Inuyasha kissed her forehead slowly before giving an exhausted and haggard sigh of relief, a quiet thank you, feeling blessed for such an amazing woman to have by his side, "Good. It's settled then."

The pair stayed wrapped up in each other's arms as the night slowly rolled in.

Kagome sighed against his chest, "Thank you, Inuyasha"

"Hm?" he hummed, wondering what she meant, "What for?"

She snuggled closer into his side as she answered, "For telling me about your past and your mother. I know you don't talk about it much, and I know how hard that must've been for you. But I just want you to know that I appreciate your opening up more. Thank you for trusting me with it."

His arm encircled her shoulders as his heart warmed at the sentiment, pulling her head against him to press a long and firm kiss against her hair.

He listened to the slowing thud of her heartbeat before he spoke, stirring Kagome from her near eventual sleep, "You know, Miroku and Sango stopped by when they'd heard about what happened."

Kagome sleepily replied, "They did?"

"Yeah," he answered with a yawn, "They wanted to thank you, for protecting the kids, and making sure they were taken care of."

"Mmm," she groaned sleep slowly taking her.

"They said for us to come by once you were awake and feeling better," Inuyasha continued, but was greeted only by the light sounds of her slow rhythmic breathing indicating she'd fallen asleep.

'We'll catch up with them tomorrow,' he thought to himself, giving her back a gentle but firm rub and letting sleep take him as well, comforted knowing she was always there beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally going to be a pure smut-fest, as I've been wanting to write more of it in the context of this story, but it slowly transformed and became an intense drama involving flashbacks, character development, and historical references. Lol!
> 
> Just an FYI, I did some research on the Sengoku Period and the clans that ruled the land of what would be Musashi at the time, as I felt it would be interesting and relevant to have Kagome experiencing parts of history, as the time in which she goes back to is estimated to be around the time of this particular clan was ruling the area of what would eventually become Tokyo. It was a pretty significant time in terms of Japan's history and was a major turning point towards the unification of the country and the end of feudalism.
> 
> I'm not sure I got all the details right, so please forgive me if I fudged some things to fit the story. But I highly recommend reading up on this period of history, as I found it fascinating to research.
> 
> As always, I hope everyone is staying safe. I hope my fics can help to bring some joy to your life, even for a little bit. Be sure to leave a review with any comments, suggestions, or ways I can improve my writing, and be sure to fave/follow if you'd like to see more!
> 
> Until Next Time…


	6. Your Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are all doing well! I felt an urge to write a more fluffy, smutty chapter, one that isn't as heavy as the previous chapters in this series, so I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> **Warning: The chapter has smutty elements, and is Rated M! You've been warned!**

The summer sun was beaming down more intensely than it had any day prior that year. The heat was exhausting, and Inuyasha could feel the rays radiating off his exposed back, his suikan abandoned somewhere in the distance and his kimono hanging loosely from his waist as he sliced down another tree with Tessaiga. As blazing as it was, Inuyasha had a job to do.

He and Jinenji were working on collecting wood from the forest to help the villagers build more housing and shops. The village had been thriving, and with less and less demon attacks, the villagers felt less threatened and more eager to set up businesses. They wanted to make this village a place that invited trade. With that mindset, there was a need to expand, and with two half-demons in their ranks who were more than willing to use their strength and skills to help if it meant trading for goods and food, the two men were put to work (with adequate payment in the form of food and goods) and made what would have been weeks' worth of effort from dozens of men look like child's play.

They'd been going at it for two weeks, and every day, they had worked until sunset, utilizing every moment of daylight to get as much work done as possible. Inuyasha would come home and Kagome would always have a meal ready for him, but the exhaustion would take him soon after. Kagome understood and always let him rest, knowing he was working hard to provide for them and the other villagers. But it definitely left both him and Kagome feeling like they barely saw one another during that time.

However, on days like this, where the sun was overbearing and beating, Inuyasha decided they'd already done more than enough work for the day, and he was eager to get home early and enjoy some relaxation with Kagome.

"Finish up, Jinenji! Enjoy the rest of your day!" he called out as he set down the last few sets of heavy logs. The burly half-demon looked over his shoulder to his smaller counter-part as he carried dozens of planks effortlessly.

"Are you sure? I can keep going," Jinenji replied, not wanting to look like he was being lazy.

"Nah, don't worry about it!" Inuyasha replied casually, "Besides if we weren't doin' this, the villagers would've fainted by now from the heat. We've done more than enough for today. Get out of the heat for a while and enjoy yourself!"

Jinenji smiled and nodded, slowly putting down the planks. He turned and waved as he said, "Thank you! Give Kagome my best when you see her."

Inuyasha rotated his shoulders as he tried to loosen the muscles that had been working all day before smirking to himself, 'Oh, I'll give her the best…'

* * *

The birds were chirping far in the distance as Kagome fanned her skin with the collar of her robes that had been pushed down to expose the rounding of her shoulders, desperate to let her skin breathe. It was too hot to stay inside the house. The air wouldn't circulate, and the heat became stifling. She figured she'd enjoy a walk in the shade of the trees around the forest.

She walked by the Well, for old times' sake, and found the clearing covered in beautiful yellow daffodils. The smell was amazing, and she couldn't help but wander into the middle of the clearing, sitting amongst the flowers that almost swallowed her whole as she sat, enjoying the beautiful day. She playfully brushed the flowers with her fingers, a fresh breeze coming through the air and cooling the skin of her face and neck immediately as she dreamily relished in the atmosphere.

Kagome languidly folded her legs to the side as she leaned on one of her hands, the other opening her robes a little more to allow some air flow along her skin. She wished Inuyasha was there to enjoy this moment with her, but he was probably going to be busy with Jinenji and wouldn't be home for a few more hours.

She turned her attention to the Well, and thought for a moment about her family, and how they were doing. She could imagine Souta growing taller. He'd be halfway through Junior High School by now.

She could imagine grandpa, still as resilient as ever, spinning more tall-tales and ancient legends.

She could imagine her mom, ever the pillar of support, never faltering with sagely advice and wisdom. She missed her mom the most.

But she was happy, and she knew what she was giving up. Her family loved her, and they supported her decision to return here. As sad as it was, she was grateful that she was able to leave them without any regrets or sense of disapproval. Most families probably wouldn't have even let Kagome do half the things she's done. But her family never stopped her. They let her lead her own life, wherever (and whenever) that took her. It had made her decision all the easier when she jumped down the Well that one last time.

As she sat amongst the flowers, wistfully planning the rest of her day – maybe she'd head down the stream for a cool bath to rinse off the sticky sheen of sweat she'd developed over the course of the day – she was blissfully unaware of her half-naked husband who'd broached the edge of the clearing. Her deliciously salty, but still sweet, scent mingling with the rich floral smells of the field drew him into the forest and he found her lying in the sea of yellow, her exposed skin looking like it was glowing in the sunlight.

She looked absolutely radiant. Inuyasha practically licked his lips, barely keeping himself under any kind of control as he just watched her from the shade of the trees. It was clear to him that she was oblivious to his presence, and he wanted to keep it that way. He smiled to himself, just wanting to enjoy this, if only for a few moments more.

He quietly stepped out from the shadows of the treeline, silently moving through the field. As he approached, he could see the beads of sweat that tempted to fall on her neck down to her barely covered bosom. Her mouth was agape as she exhaled her heated breaths, the hair on her fringe fluttering as she did so. Her eyes slide closed as she leaned her head back, basking in the full force of the sun. Maybe it was because he'd felt like he hadn't been able to properly see her in what felt like an eternity, but regardless, she'd never looked more breathtakingly beautiful in his eyes.

When he was only a step away from her, he paused as he looked down at her. With her eyes still closed, she tilted her chin in his direction and smiled. She could smell the change in the air and knew immediately who it was. Even without his touch, she could sense he was there, she could smell his earthy and woody scent.

Kagome slowly opened her eyes, careful to not look into the sun, but regardless, she was blinded, and her breath caught in her throat.

He grinned at her and let out a gruff, "Hey…"

Kagome felt like a puddle of goo, and it wasn't just because of the sweltering heat.

'God, he's gorgeous…' she thought to herself.

After two weeks of hard labor in the summer sun, Inuyasha had developed what Kagome deemed a deep glaze over his toned muscles. Inuyasha had always been fit, but lately, he was definitely looking more… 'Rugged?' she wondered if that was the right word. His muscles looked more defined, and his shoulders looked as if they were getting broader. He had small nicks and scratches from working so hard, but those would heal by the end of the day.

Still, she had to admit, she liked seeing him a bit more roughed up. It was incredibly attractive.

'And he's all mine,' she thought greedily.

She never peeled her eyes away from his form, her eyes hooded with lust, as he crouched down to close the distance between them.

"I've missed you," she breathed out before he pressed his lips to hers in hunger. She craned her neck to reach his lips, her hand instinctively reaching to his shoulder and up his neck, feeling the change in the texture of his skin. How long had it been since she'd last felt him like this?

She could feel him growl from the back of his throat as it reverberated through her skin. Clearly, he missed her too, if his actions said anything. He quietly joined her in the field of flowers, his hands lightly roaming over her like as if he hadn't felt her in millennia and were determined to memorize her body through touch alone. He grazed his lips down towards her jawline and neck as Kagome wrapped her arms over his shoulder, bringing her hands down over his chest and giving him a light push.

The pair had grown keenly aware of each other's signals, so much that they'd barely need to say anything, and Inuyasha immediately paused his pursuit, looking up to his wife, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just…" she looked around the clearing, "Anyone could find us like this. Maybe we should head home…"

Inuyasha scoffed, "No one's out in this heat if they don't have to be."

"We are," she replied with a snarky grin and a chuckle, but Inuyasha resumed his ministrations, distracting her from her trail of thought.

"We're here because _you_ decided a walk on the hottest day of the year was in order. You only have yourself to blame," he chided her, opening her robes to expose more of her sun-kissed skin and sliding his hands across her chest and sides, "Besides, we're not doing anything."

She let out a gasp as he roughly handled her in just the way she liked, pressing him a little as she moaned, "Mmm, we're not…?"

Inuyasha gently leaned her onto her back, the bed of lowers cushioning her, as he continued his tour of her breasts, "Nope, nothing to see here at all."

She lightly slapped his shoulder, knowing he was joking. She could feel him chuckle against her breast, unrelenting before he weakly apologized, "Sorry."

"No need to apologize, "she replied sweetly, massaging her hands into his slightly sweat-dampened hair and over his ears as a few breathy moans escaped her, "At least not for that…"

Inuyasha stopped his movements and turned to look up at her, a suddenly worried look on his face, "What for?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly, "You could've brought me some _flowers_ or something," she joked, her voice sing-songy, "I've barely seen you for the last two weeks, and the first chance you get, you jump me. Feels like you're only after one thing."

Inuyasha flattened his ears to his head, lifting his weight off of her body. Kagome immediately missed the contact and let out a small protesting cry, pleading him to come back. Normally, that would've worked.

"Kagome… You know that's not true," Inuyasha's eyes were sad and confused, "Dammit, I'm sorry. I should've brought you someth… "

"I'm kidding!" she interjected with a frustrated but still joyful tone, though it did nothing to remove the concerned look on his face.

"I just… I don't want you to think I'm forcing myself on…" he was promptly interrupted as Kagome sat up, pulling his face to hers, and kissed him. Her exposed chest pressing against him, the feel of skin against each other driving away any thought in their minds. Her kiss was forceful but comforting, and soon Inuyasha had forgotten what they were even talking about, as he wrapped his arms around her. His hand grazed over her scars on her back and sent a shiver down her spine.

As she gently leaned back, breaking their kiss, his eyes had glazed over again as she smirked up at him, using a phrase he had said many times to her, "Shut up," grabbing his hair and pulling his face back down to hers, "and get back over here."

God, how he loved this woman. He grinned with a wolfish smile and was on her in an instant and decided that if she wanted to be aggressive, two could play at that game.

* * *

The cold water of the stream was a welcome relief from the heat. Normally, Kagome was against cold water on principle, but with the intense heat, and more sweat-inducing activities that she and her husband had been engaged in, it was a welcome change of pace.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, preferred the colder water. It always felt like his body was running hotter than Kagome's, which probably explained why she preferred her hot baths, but it also meant she loved cuddling up with him as they slept, especially when it was a particularly cooler night. Not that he minded at all.

She and Inuyasha lazily lounged in the cool water, rinsing off and continuing their rejoining after being apart for so long.

Inuyasha had his back pressed against a rock as he held Kagome in front of him, her head laying against his shoulder, and his arms wrapped possessively around her waist. He kissed her shoulder before resting his chin on it.

"Kagome…?" he asked quietly, not wanting to break the silence.

"Mhmm?" she mumbled back.

"I don't…" he started, but struggled to figure out what he was trying to say, "I don't… want you to think I don't appreciate you."

She turned to look up at him over her shoulder, "Is this because of earlier? Listen, I was just joking."

"But…" he continued, "It's true. I don't bring you gifts, or anything like the stuff Miroku brings for Sango, or Sesshomaru brings for Rin."

"Inuyasha," Kagome turned his arms and reached a hand to his cheek, "I don't need gifts. You built me a home, you provide for us, and you show me how much you love me every time we're together like this. You show me that every day when I wake up with you beside me. You don't need you to bring me gifts to show your love."

Kagome was silently beating herself up for making him feel insecure. It was a joke, nothing more. But she should have known it would've made him feel inadequate. He'd always done whatever he could to make her feel loved, as she belonged there with him. She hated that she'd made him doubt that he was a good husband.

"Please... don't apologize. It was a bad joke," she tried to ease him.

He sighed, "I don't deserve you." He placed his hand over hers and kissed her palm. She smiled sadly at his response before he leaned in to kiss her, and she reciprocated without hesitation. She soon got an idea.

She breathed against him in a sultry voice, "If you're looking for a way to make amends, I know of something you can do for me."

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the sound in her voice, and he could feel his heartbeat a little harder, "Oh _really_?"

"Mmhmm," she hummed, pressing her lips to his, gliding her tongue smoothly against his. She pulled away after a moment, "You see… I've missed that wonderful tongue of yours."

Inuyasha swore he went cross-eyed in that instant as his body relit with a fiery vengeance. Kagome smiled to herself, seeing the hunger in his eyes return as he eagerly wrapped his arm around her back, pressing her against him in an oh so glorious fashion, taking her lips in his once more. She tentatively slid a hand down between them and took hold of her husband's length, the snarl that erupted from his throat egging her on.

He quickly lifted her up by her thighs, wrapping her legs around his hips instinctively as he moved towards the riverbank, their kiss never breaking. Her hand effortlessly threaded into his wet, silky mane, holding him tight by his shoulders before he laid her down just outside the water on a spot of grass. She shivered for a moment, the cool water on her body being quickly heated by the sun, but she was soon warmed for a whole other reason.

Inuyasha was leaning over her, his mouth traveled down her slick form, his lower body remaining submerged in the stream in a futile attempt to keep his lower extremities under control, though it had little impact. He listened to her soft mewls and cries for him as he showed her how much he missed her.

As he reached her core, his hands gently took her legs from his hips and hooked his arms under her thighs, keeping her pinned to the ground as he moved his tongue over her in long, slow strokes.

Kagome's screams for him only served to rile him up more, making him realize how much he loved and missed making her beg for him like this. He could feel her hands on his head, a vague attempt to steady herself, but her hips bucked uncontrollably against his arms. He did well to keep her grounded as he pressed further against her, his 'wonderful tongue' as she'd called it, working its magic.

He never got tired of pleasing her this way, and she, clearly, enjoyed it immensely. This is where her sweet scent emanated from, what drew him in, and if he were able to live off of it, he was more than willing to bury his face in it for days on end. It felt like it was all he needed to survive.

Her moans grew closer together and her fingers gripped into his hair tightly as she let out a strangled cry. She was close to the edge, and he knew exactly what to do to send her over it. Inuyasha licked her from bottom to top before encircling her bundle of nerves and giving it a long, torturous graze with his lips and tongue. His fangs gently scraped her flesh, and Kagome was a goner.

With her hair fanned out beneath her, and her back arched in that beautiful way it did when she reached her peak, she came to her wondrous release. She let out a string of strangled cries and airless breaths, barely able to finish his name as her body grew taut.

She gasped for breath, her body going numb and limp from her release. Inuyasha lifted his head from her apex, and gently rubbed her hips and thighs, hoping to send the blood back to them quickly.

She looked blissful as Inuyasha lowered her legs back onto the grassy mound. Kagome turned to look up at him as he stood from the water, his body moving over hers like a predator who'd cornered its prey, pressing his hands into the grass on either side of her, and an evil look in his eye. Kagome recognized it immediately as she reached up for him, brushing her fingertips carefully against his cheeks, following an outline.

'Dammit,' he thought, 'I've lost control again!'

Inuyasha had transformed, his demonic side emerging. He tried to restrain it, steadying himself over her.

It had happened twice before. During moments of intense lovemaking between them, his demon half came out and he hadn't even realized it until Kagome reacted, though she wasn't scared or threatened by it. She never had been.

'Fuck! Why now?' he wondered. Was it because Tessaiga was across the stream with the rest of their clothes? He shuttered as he tried to move to get away from her and back over to his sword, but his body was fighting him. It had reached a stalemate, and he couldn't move, either toward nor away.

Her touch was calming. He could only ground out her name as he fought within himself.

"It's okay," she said softly before gently pulling him close to her, laying his head against her collar. Inuyasha went willingly, digging his hands into the ground beside her to avoid hurting her. Her hands smoothed over his arms and back, trying to coo him with soft reassurances.

His body soon relaxed as he felt that raging side of himself submit. It wasn't completely gone, but it was enough to give him some power over his body again. He raised his head to look up at her. The golden amber in his eyes was back as he tried to focus on her face, and the blood-red diminished back to their normal color. But his fangs and claws were still larger than normal, and the marks on his cheeks refused to fade.

Kagome had realized quickly the first time this happened what needed to be done to subdue him. Without the sit command, she had to think quickly to find a way to calm him down, and she only reacted instinctually. Her kiss had calmed his demon side before, so it felt natural to try and comfort him; to satisfy him.

She would cradle him, as she was doing now, and eventually, that side of himself would recede; at least the blood-lust side of it would. His vision would clear and his body would obey him. He would ride out his desires with her, and eventually, once he was sated, he would return to his normal self. He'd never hurt her; he wouldn't allow it. Not when she was in such a vulnerable position.

Though his demon side knew not to hurt her, something was still there that Inuyasha feared would be out of his control, and he'd never forgiven himself if he'd done anything to her when she was defenseless. That fear became a reality in their final battle with Naraku all those years ago; when his demon side had possessed him, and he'd hurt Kagome. He didn't know if he killed her or not, which terrified him. It all happened without his even being aware.

No, he refused to be powerless to that again. He refused to let that part of himself override his one rule: Protect her.

She kissed his forehead while brushing the pad of her thumb across his cheek before murmuring softly, "My Inuyasha..."

He nodded weakly before he ground out between his teeth, " _My_ mate…"

Kagome nodded. She reached between them, finding his length once more, and positioned him to align with her. She could feel the tension in his body and encouraged him to move.

With his claws still buried deep in the dirt, he pushed himself forward, and Kagome's body accepted him willingly. He pressed his forehead against her collarbone as he almost painfully grunted at feeling her body enveloped his. Kagome wrapped her legs around his hips, opening herself up to him, and held him by his shoulder.

"It's okay," she reassured him before a moan escaped her lips.

Inuyasha's mind seemed to blank as his body moved instinctually at her encouragement. He ground his hips into hers, driving her into the grass. His hands tore at the ground just above her head, using it as leverage in lieu of wrapping his arms around her.

Their joining was intense, ravenous even. Kagome could barely tell what was up or down, she was so enraptured in it. She let out intoxicated moans, losing herself to the feeling of him taking her in such an aggressive fashion.

They approached their climaxes together. Feral grunts and snarls emitted from the back of Inuyasha's throat as he kept his head down against her shoulder, desperate to finish this before it got out of control. But when he heard Kagome attempt to moan his name, her body arching beneath him, all his resolve went out the window. His hands grabbed hold of her shoulder and waist, and his claws dug into her skin, enough to just barely draw blood. His final thrusts were hard and swift. She cried out for him as her body tightened around his, and they released in a glorious howl that matched the other.

The pair collapsed against each other, exhausted from the heat and lack of energy. Kagome could only lazily trail her fingertips over his back as she felt him try to take deep calming breaths.

"It's okay," she repeated in his ear, her voice hoarse but gentle.

It felt like an eternity before Inuyasha even dared to look her in the face. How could he? He'd just used his wife and rutted against her like a goddamn animal.

'I don't deserve her,' he thought to himself before lifting his head and tempting his fate. He half expected her to be angry with him; to chew him out, berate him, something that made him feel better. But instead, she looked angelic… like she always did.

"Welcome back," she joked, a light smile on her lips.

Inuyasha flattened his ears to his head, and looked at her like a kid who was about to be reprimanded, "Kagome… I'm so sorry."

The tone in his voice was so vulnerable. Her eyes saddened, "Everything's okay. You don't need to apologize."

Inuyasha regained some of his senses, and the scent of her blood wafted, causing him to quickly move away from her. As he pulled away, Kagome whined, beckoning him to lay with her. But he could only stare down at the marks he'd left on her shoulder and hip before looking at his claws. The marks weren't deep, but they still drew blood.

'Dammit!' he cursed to himself, clenching his fists and drawing his own blood in self-hatred.

Kagome sat up and saw him hurting himself. She reached for his hands and shouted, "Stop it!"

"Leave me alone!" he snarled back, snatching his hands away from her reach.

"No!" she retorted, trying again, taking his hands in hers and trying to force him to loosen his fist.

Inuyasha quickly pulled out of her grasp and stood, moving some distance away from her. She sat on the ground with her legs folded under her, looking shocked and saddened. Why was he withdrawing from her? She thought they'd grown past this.

"Inuyasha…?" she half-whispered, half-asked, "Please… don't do this. Don't shut me out."

She could see his shoulders shutter. He was fighting his instinct to run; to get as far away from her as possible and to protect her from himself.

When they were younger, they'd often argued.

A lot… Too much, in fact.

And one of them almost always took off before they could properly resolve their issues. They were both guilty of it. But they were older now, and they'd gotten so much better at dealing with these kinds of things as they came up.

This wasn't the first time this had happened, and yes, he was upset when it happened before, but Kagome had always talked to him; to make him understand that she wasn't afraid of him and that he had nothing to be ashamed of. She was willing to help him ride out his transformation because it was still him. She loved him, in all his forms.

"How can you…" he started.

Kagome lifted her head, standing to quietly approach him, carefully moving as if afraid he'd run off if she startled him. As she came up beside him, she gently touched his arm as he continued, "I could've killed you. How can you let me just…?"

She gave a sad smile, "Because it's still you. Because I know you, and you wouldn't hurt me… you _didn't_ hurt me… I will always trust you."

The way she emphasized 'didn't', she was trying to comfort him. But it was honest.

He turned his head to look at her solemnly. He stayed silent, just watching her before he quietly wrapped his arms around her back, holding her head to his chest. She glided into his embrace, her palm pressed against his shoulder before she hummed, "Everything's alright."

Inuyasha pressed a kiss into her hair before letting out an exhausted breath.

After a few moments, Kagome turned to look up at him and proposed, "We should probably head home and get out of this heat."

Inuyasha nodded, leaping with her over the stream back to where their clothes laid on the other side before heading back home.

* * *

He knew he was being stupid. He knew this was a terrible idea.

And yet… here he was. Face to face with his brother on the outskirts of the village.

"Speak, or I shall take my leave," Sesshomaru demanded.

"I need a favor," Inuyasha said in a gruff tone.

Inuyasha never thought he'd see the day where he would be asking his brother for favors.

He wasn't used to speaking to Sesshomaru about these sorts of things. Normally, they'd be trying to murder each other. But with Sesshomaru's fondness for Rin, and the guardianship Inuyasha and the others had taken up of her, they'd become more passive towards one another. They certainly didn't get along, but there was a mutual agreement between them. Sesshomaru had left Rin in Inuyasha and his village's care while he traveled the Western Lands, with the understanding that one day, he would come for her when she was old enough to make decisions for her own life, and she would decide if she wanted to remain by his side.

Sesshomaru had never said it in so many words, but it was understood.

Inuyasha could see his brother's eyes narrow at him at the request, "A favor?"

There was a pregnant pause as Inuyasha sorted his mind out, "When you… bring gifts for Rin… the next time you come, would you bring a kimono? One for an adult woman?"

Sesshomaru asked almost smugly, "Why don't you ask your human villagers to make one? Is there not any skilled artisans in their midst?"

Inuyasha replied solemnly, "I tried."

He did. Unfortunately, the villagers had not yet established significant trade routes with other villages yet, as they were still building the structures and businesses they'd wished to form, and the materials to make a kimono that matched what Inuyasha had in mind was unlikely to happen, at least for a long time. Even Miroku had managed to bring an amazing kimono for Sango from one of their travels for an exorcism, but that had been negotiated as part of their payment and would've been worth more than Inuyasha could ever hope to garner on his own.

"Why ask me?" Sesshomaru questioned.

Inuyasha knew, "You know demon silk makers, and have kimono made for Rin regularly as she gets older."

They were always made of beautiful fabrics and patterns, and Kagome had commented on how wonderful they were. He remembered seeing her eyes light up when Rin showed her the newest one.

Sesshomaru didn't give any indication of a reaction to the request. He remained as stoic as ever.

Inuyasha lowered his head, "Forget it, I don't know why I bother."

Sesshomaru asked sharply, "I imagine it is for your wife?"

Inuyasha's head snapped up. 'Why does he want to know?'

He gave a meek reply in affirmation.

Sesshomaru tsked, "An honorable husband would provide for his family and wife," he turned to deliver a petty snide look, "Have you been so lax in taking care of your mate than you've resorted to coming to _me_ for assistance?"

"It's not like that!" Inuyasha retorted angrily.

"Then why?" Sesshomaru demanded.

Inuyasha grew silent, hanging his head, "I need… to make amends."

Sesshomaru's eye narrowed, "What was the offense?"

The offense was nearly eviscerating his wife in a moment of vulnerability. Kagome had never made Inuyasha feel like what he did was wrong. She never held it against him… but after the day at the stream, he knew he needed to make up for it. Regardless of what she said, how she never wanted or needed gifts, he needed her to know that he appreciated her staying with him, especially after that.

Inuyasha wondered… should he ask Sesshomaru about his transformations? Maybe he knew why he was transforming when he was intimate with Kagome.

'What the _hell_ am I thinking?!' Inuyasha decried in his mind. There was no way in hell he was going to talk about his personal affairs with Kagome to his deranged half-brother.

"It's none of your business what it's for! Are you willing to help me or not?" Inuyasha slapped back.

Sesshomaru turned away from him, making a show to leave. Inuyasha's shoulders slumped and his ears lowered.

"She has protected Rin, and she acts with nobility," Sesshomaru commented.

Inuyasha's ears twitched. He'd never thought he would hear his brother ever utter a positive word about a human, let alone Kagome. She was the human who married a disgusting half-demon, one outcasted by both demons and humans. Sesshomaru may no longer have wished to kill Inuyasha, but he certainly didn't expect him to have grown any kind of sense of decency towards other humans. Maybe Rin was having a positive influence on him?

"I… I imagine Rin told you… about the hawk demon's attack a few months back?" Inuyasha asked.

He never directly responded, but Inuyasha assumed it was the truth.

"I shall do you this favor, but do not ask me for another if you wish to keep your head upon your shoulders," Sesshomaru threatened, though there was an emptiness to it. It wasn't full of spite like it had been in the past, and Inuyasha could sense it. Sesshomaru was saving face.

"Wait? Really?" Inuyasha asked, not believing what he'd heard.

Sesshomaru turned a glaring eye back over his shoulder, "Question me again, and I shall recant."

Inuyasha's expression faded to a smug smirk, "Thanks... I don't like owing debts, especially to you, but if you need anything of me…"

"All I ask is that you continue what you have been doing," Sesshomaru replied in a short tone.

Inuyasha gave him a confused look, "Which is?"

"Protect this village," Sesshomaru commanded quietly, "Do that, and consider your debt paid."

Inuyasha barely had a moment to absorb the request before Sesshomaru took his leave, flying off into the night sky.

Well… That certainly went better than he had expected it to.

* * *

Weeks went by, and Inuyasha and Jinenji had finished their work helping to gather wood for the new structures in the village. The shops and businesses were well on their way to being built, and soon, they could see the influx of traders and travelers coming to their small town, opening them up to the wide assortment of goods that were available across the country.

In a short while, this village would become a bustling trading town.

However, during all that time, there was no word from Rin as to when Sesshomaru would be returning. Inuyasha grew somewhat irritated with his brother, thinking he was reneging on their agreement.

'That no good sonovabitch…' he growled to himself, 'Why did I ever think I could trust his word?'

He and Kagome were down the village on the day Sesshomaru finally made his return. She, luckily, was distracted with helping Kaede tend to an injured traveler, giving Inuyasha the opportunity to sneak away unnoticed.

As he approached his brother, who waited on the knoll across the fields, Inuyasha noticed a weirdly pensive look on Sesshomaru's face. He didn't have much time to address it though before Sesshomaru's attention turned to him. He smoothly released an oversized satchel from his shoulder and threw it at Inuyasha's feet.

"What you requested," Sesshomaru commented coldly.

Inuyasha bent down to examine the bag and saw the vividly colored and smooth fabric within. He smirked, imagining how the fabric would look against Kagome's features, not able to contain how happy he would be to see Kagome wearing it.

"Thanks… Sesshomaru," Inuyasha muttered, feeling uncomfortable talking to his brother in such a fashion.

"Do not make it a habit of asking for such favors, and don't _ever_ speak of this to anyone," Sesshomaru quietly commanded before making his way down to the village for his visit with Rin.

Inuyasha stayed atop the hill for a moment before he turned into the forest and back towards the house. He hoped Kagome would be distracted for a while longer.

* * *

Dusk began to set in across the valley, and Kagome had lost track of her dog-eared husband some time ago. She wandered around the village, hoping that he'd show himself eventually. But when he remained missing, she resigned herself to returning to the house without him, assuming he'd come home eventually.

'He must've sensed something. He doesn't normally just disappear like that without warning,' Kagome reasoned as she trudged up the knoll and towards their home in the forest.

'Hopefully, he'll be back in time to watch the fireworks,' she hoped.

The traveler she and Kaede had been tending to carried with him sets of fireworks, as they were a new import to the country. Kagome had obviously seen fireworks so many times in the modern era, but the villagers had never seen them before. She wondered if Inuyasha had ever seen them, during all his years…

The traveler offered the fireworks as a show of gratitude for their help, as they were the only thing he had on him to offer.

Kagome eagerly explained to Kaede and the others what they were for, and how people in her time would use them as a way to celebrate special occasions and festivals.

Upon hearing about such an amazing spectacle, the headman and the others all agreed that they should enjoy the festivities that evening. With the new structures being finished soon, what better time to celebrate the soon to be expansion of their small village than a brilliant show? Kagome told them all to wear their finest kimono, in the hopes of recreating the summer fireworks festivals of her childhood.

They all agreed and she was on her way home now to freshen herself up with a bath, and hopefully, finding Inuyasha to they could enjoy the new festival.

But when she hadn't seen him, she reconciled with just going home for her bath.

As she pulled open the shoji of their home, she gasped, her hand raising to her lips to mask her shock as she was greeted by a display which she could never have imagined.

The privacy screen they'd used to delineate their sleeping area from the rest of the space had been pulled to the middle of the home, and upon it was draped the most intricately decorated and beautiful kimono Kagome had ever laid her eyes on.

The golden rays of the sunset coming through the windows and the door streaked across the floor and sparkled over the fabric. She stood there, rooted to the spot in the doorway for a few moments, admiring the ethereal fabric before even tempting to move closer towards it.

She tentatively reached out a hand, almost afraid to touch it, letting her fingers gracefully fall between the folds of the fabric, and delicately holding it across the palm of her hand. It felt like the smoothest silk ever woven. The color was so rich; a light, pale green that faded to a deeper shade as your eye fell towards the bottom of the garment. The embroidery was even more amazing; subtly laced with red, white, and gold flower patterns and would encircle around the body in a bemusing swirl of color. Her fingers traced the stitching in wonder at how well-crafted and astonishing it all was.

She was so enraptured with the piece, she almost didn't notice the warm presence behind her, a slight shiver running up her spine as she felt his hands lightly run up her arms to her shoulders.

"I take it you like it then?" she felt the smooth rumble from his chest caress her as he encircled his arms around her, his breath brushing against her neck.

"Inuyasha…" she could only whisper his name, her mind blanking on what else she could say, "It's…"

"Stunned into silence? That's a first for you, " he teased before he could smell the tell-tale salty musk of her tears float into the air.

"It's… i-it's too much," she stammered, raising her hands to her face to hide her silly expression.

"Huh…?" Inuyasha had no idea how to process what she'd just said, loosening his arms from around her shoulders before asking incredulously, "W-what do ya mean 'it's too much'?"

Kagome cried, her shoulders shuttering from her sobs, ignoring his question altogether.

Inuyasha couldn't understand her reaction. She'd always had such a variety of clothing in her time, but since she'd come back over a year ago, she'd only ever worn her priestess robes and her sleeping yukata. He thought she'd appreciate the gesture, that she'd be excited to wear a kimono that matched her in grace and beauty. He didn't expect her to be upset by it.

He urged her to turn and face him, though she initially fought his attempt. Her face was still hidden behind her hands, so he reached up to her wrists to try and gently pull them away, "Kagome, what's wrong?"

As he pulled her hands away, she slowly looked up to him with the dopiest smile across her lips, tears flowing freely across her cheeks, and a bright rosy flush across her face, she weepily replied, "Nothing's wrong… and that's the problem."

Inuyasha was officially bemused, "Alright, what the _hell_ are you going on about, woman?"

Kagome shakily took her hands from his grasp and reached up to hold his cheek in her palm. Inuyasha easily relaxed into the gesture, nuzzling into the embrace. It was always her small way of reassuring him that everything was alright, and right now, he'd take what he could get in this confusion that was Kagome Higurashi.

She tried to get a hold of herself as she spoke, "This is more... than I ever expected. You didn't need to give me this. I didn't ask for this."

Inuyasha sighed as he saw her tear up again, quickly pulled her against his chest and holding her, "You didn't have to."

"Why…?" she asked, unable to complete her thought, the question lost on her lips.

"Because, you deserve so much more… You deserve the moon, and I would give it to you if I could. But this is all I can offer for now," his voice was soft and solemn, which caused Kagome to flinch at the comment.

She reached around his torso and fisted the fabric of his suikan in her hands, as she brokenly tried to say, "This is… beyond _anything_ I've ever been given _._ It's too beautiful!"

He pressed a kiss against her hair and whispered, "Not half as beautiful as you are."

Kagome sighed, asking rhetorically, "What did I do to deserve you?"

Inuyasha chuckled as she slowly leaned out of his embrace, "I thought that was my line."

She gave him a light slap on his arm before she wiped the tears from her face, the only remnants of her sobs a few sniffles, as she lightly laughed and turned back to look at the kimono, "Well, it's a good thing I have a reason to wear it tonight."

"Hmm? Why's that?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome gave him a warm smile and said," I'll explain in a bit, but for now, I need a bath."

Before he could even respond, she was already suggestively removing her robe over her shoulder as she looked towards him, a hooded-sultry look in her eyes, "Unless… You'd like to join me?"

His eyebrows raised dramatically before a devilish smirk replaced it, moving swiftly to wrap his arms around her waist as she laughed at his antics.

* * *

The villagers began to gather across the hill that led into the forest, all dressed in their cotton, or in some cases, silk kimono. They hadn't had a reason to really celebrate anything over the last few months, and many were eager to view the spectacle that Kagome had described to them.

Sango, Miroku, Shippo all walked towards the knoll, the kids running ahead to play tag with a few of the other various children in the village, all of them soon getting comfortable as the traveler who'd brought the fireworks began to set them up for the display.

Kaede and Jinenji quietly stood at the top of the mound, exchanging pleasantries with various villagers.

Even Rin had somehow managed to convince Sesshomaru, ever the stoic and unrelenting demon lord as he was, to stay and watch what had been described as "fire flowers", though they remained a fair distance from the rest of the audience.

Inuyasha stood at the doorway of their home, listening to the steady rise in chatter amongst the crowd as they gathered before he called back into the house, "Might wanna hurry up if you don't want to miss anything!"

"If I had another set of hands, I'd be done faster," Kagome chided in response. It was true, Kagome could've used another pair of hands to get her into the elaborate garment, but Inuyasha was ill-equipped to help her.

"Do you want me to go get Sango or Kaede to come help?" he asked earnestly.

"I should be done soon," Kagome replied from behind the screen, finishing tying the obi around her midsection.

Inuyasha slid his arms into the sleeves of his suikan as he waited patiently for her. She emerged not long after, and as he turned to look upon her, his jaw went slack and his mouth agape as he stared as his beautiful wife, adorned in the shimmering fabric.

Every step made the garment shine from a new angle as she slowly glided towards him, her eyes matching the fabric in intensity. Her hair was up and away from her neck in a neat, but loose style, showing off just how the fabric hugged her form. It fit just as he imagined it would, if not, better.

Kagome's cheeks flushed brightly at her husband's reaction, "Do I look alright? It's not too much?"

Inuyasha had managed to regain enough of his senses to respond, his eyes hovering over her face as she approached, "You look beautiful…"

She smiled humbly, reaching for his arm, "We should hurry! It's already dark, and the fireworks will be starting soon."

Inuyasha went with her willingly as she gently tugged his arm to follow, unable to take his eyes off her.

Kagome could feel his intense stare, blushing from the heat of it. She turned to look at him, a sweet smile on her lips as she asked jokingly, "You know I'm not going to evaporate into thin air if you stop looking at me, right?"

Inuyasha paused in his stride and Kagome with him. His hands turned her to face him, and she could see how his eyes couldn't stop hovering over her face, like he wasn't sure where to look.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

"Sometimes I wonder… If this is all just a wonderful, but drawn-out, dream, that I'll wake up from at any moment. That one day I'll wake up… and you won't be here beside me anymore," he spoke quietly, voicing one of his deepest fears.

Kagome's eye widened at the comment as she took a deep inhale, "I'm not going anywhere. You know that, right?"

He took his right hand and gently smoothed it over her cheek, "I know."

She smiled as they leaned into one another for a sweet kiss, only to be interrupted a moment later by the high-pitched whistle and sharp crack of the first fireworks being let off.

The pair broke apart to watch the sky as it became dusted with bright flashes of color and smoke. They could hear the amazed gasps of the villagers not far away, as they cheered for the miraculous spectacle.

"They've started!" Kagome cried excitedly, as she stared upward. She quietly leaned into Inuyasha's side as she watched the fireworks, his arm soon sliding across her shoulder to cradle her against his side, "Inuyasha…?"

"Yeah?" he replied quietly, not tearing his eyes away from the sky.

"I know we've… we've talked about it before," Kagome started meekly, unsure how she wanted to word this.

Inuyasha glanced her way as he felt her press a hand over his heart, turning to look up at him, the most contented and amorous look in her eye, "What do you say… we try to start a family?"

His face was bemused, as it took him a moment to process what she was asking him.

Almost a year ago, they'd had the conversation about having children someday. They both agreed that they wanted to have a family, though it was something Inuyasha had never really given much thought to before her return.

However, at the time of their conversation, they were newly married, and Kagome had asked that they wait until she felt more prepared to become a mother. In this time, women Kagome's age already had multiple children, Sango being a prime example of that. But in her time, women were encouraged to wait until they felt ready, once their lives were more stable and established. He knew she was always destined to become a mother someday, but she explained it as wanting to enjoy her youth, and that they would have plenty of time to have kids in a few years. She wanted to enjoy being young and in love with him again, to catch up on years of separation before they really settled down and started a family.

He agreed, knowing that he'd wait for as long as she needed. It was her decision if and when they had kids, and he never brought up the subject again, knowing she would let him know when she was ready.

When he took too long to answer, Kagome continued, "I'm glad we waited, but… I think I'm finally ready."

Sure, he had his own insecurities about becoming a father, having never had a father figure to look up to himself. But he knew that even if he was no good at it, Kagome would be more than enough of a parent for them. She had so much love to give, and he knew that as long as she was in their lives, they'd always know they were loved and cared for.

The fact that she wanted to share this with him, to become parents together… it was the antithesis for what had been, up until that moment, the ethos of his entire existence. He was deemed unworthy, undesirable, an abomination by the world. But here was this beautiful, smart, amazing woman, who'd only ever shown him love and compassion, was endless in her forgiveness, willing to carry his children, and raise them to know that they were wanted and loved and belonged.

Again, he didn't reply, so Kagome asked outright, her tone slightly nervous because of his silence, "Inuyasha…? What do you say?"

Inuyasha's eyes softened as he leaned his forehead against hers, taking a deep breath to calm his elation, "I couldn't ask for a more wonderful gift than to have a family with you."

Kagome's hand smoothly glided across his chest to his neck, her thumb gently stroking his cheek as she pressed her lips against his, their smiles never leaving them. The wave of relief and excitement in Kagome reverberated through the kiss, and he could tell she'd given this decision a lot of thought. He was relieved to know she was just as enthralled with this as he was.

They slowly parted and turned their gaze once more to the fireworks that exploded overhead, holding each other in their arms.

Kagome quietly rubbed his shoulder before saying, "Come on! Let's join the others."

They walked hand-in-hand as they soon arrived at the knoll and celebrated a wonderful new start to their future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End…?
> 
> Whoo! That one took a while to write.
> 
> I'll likely put this fic on a temporary hiatus, as the new series Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (or Hanyo no Yashahime) will be released in October, and I'd like to see how the original series connects with this new one before I write any more chapters for this fic. (This fic was originally uploaded on FF.net prior to Yashahime's release date).
> 
> In the meantime, I'm going to be re-focusing on my Inuyasha AU fic "Come Out of Ashes", which I have outlined, but want to start writing, as I only have the first chapter up right now. I've got the first few chapters after that outlined, but I've been so obsessed with writing for this fic and for possible outcomes with the new series that I just had a bigger motivation at the time.
> 
> So, for now, consider this a temporary conclusion to this fic. I'll pick it back up once we've got more details and plotlines in the new series and I can generate some new ideas.
> 
> If you like my writing, please consider reading some of my other Inuyasha fics. Please be sure to favorite/follow this fic if you enjoyed it, and I'm open to all reviews, both positive and negative (as long as they're constructive).
> 
> Thanks for reading everyone! Stay safe out there!
> 
> Until Next Time…

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this fic!
> 
> This will likely be more of a series of one-shot style chapters, but they'll all take place within the same story universe after the end of The Final Act. Each chapter will answer a different question or desired outcome I've had since finishing re-watching the show, so if you have any suggestions or ideas you'd like to see, let me know in a review!
> 
> Be sure to follow or favourite the story if you want to read more, and I hope ya'll are staying healthy and safe out there!
> 
> Until Next Time…


End file.
